Jackson Junior 06: Commanders
by drgemini86
Summary: Sequel to JJ: Nuptial Preludes, as the galaxy gets straightened out, Daniel gets overworked in his new job, and Sam gets a surprise posting. Spoilers for seasons 1 to 10, AoT, Continuum, SGA s3&4. SamDaniel, CamVala, JonasCarolyn, JackSara, Teal'cIshta
1. Execution of Bocce

**Jackson Junior: Commanders by DrGemini86**

_**Summary: **__Sequel to Jackson Junior: Nuptial Preludes (set a month or so after the end of that), as the galaxy gets straightened out, Daniel gets overworked in his new job. Meanwhile, Sam gets a surprise posting. SamDaniel, CamVala, JonasCarolyn, JackSara, Teal'cIsh'ta, ShWeir, Lornifer  
__**Rating:**__ Teen-ish  
__**Category: **__New Romance  
__**Genres:**__ Drama, Family-focused, Friendship, Romance-focused  
__**Warnings: **__rude scenes and violence  
__**Spoilers: **__seasons 1-10, Ark of Truth, Continuum, Atlantis seasons 1-4  
__**A/N: **__The first seventeen chapters of this aren't the original as I had to rewrite them. I have chapters 18, 20-65, so I have to remember what I wrote again. lol. Anywho, hope you enjoy it._

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_**Previously… in Jackson Junior (keep on scrolling for the story – this is just a recap in case you haven't read the previous stories in the series)**_

**Jackson Junior: I'm Right Here**: _Prequel to Jackson Junior, set in seasons 5-7, an ascended Daniel is there for Sam when she's stuck on the X-303, and also when Nirrti experiments on her. Meanwhile, he discovers something but keeps on hitting walls when he tries to find out more. Fills in the gaps and addresses that wee issue with Sam being the only member of SG-1 not to have a visitation from everyone's favourite Space Monkey. Cameos from Oma, Morgan Le Fay and those ever elusive Others. SamDaniel UST_

**Jackson Junior: Threads**: _Prequel to Jackson Junior, and sequel to I'm Right Here. Set during Reckoning Part II and Threads, when Daniel's missing, Sam realises whom she really wants. Meanwhile, Daniel wants answers and doesn't get any. Cameos from Oma, Morgan Le Fay, and the Others. SamPete, SamDaniel UST, SamJack UST, and JackKerry_

**Jackson Junior**: _Set in late season 10, the aftermath of a horrific ritual off-world leaves our scientists both… pregnant. Follows how their relationship develops and strengthens as they help each other through the nightmares. Cameos from Cassie, Jonas and Jacob. SamDaniel, CamVala_

**Jackson Junior: Nuptial Preludes**: _Set in seasons 11-12, Sam and Daniel have to overcome a series of obstacles before they can finally get married, including Sam getting promoted and sent off to Atlantis, Sam getting kidnapped, and then if that wasn't enough, a huge make or break Ori mission cropping up after Tomin switches sides in the war to warn SG-1 of what the Ori are planning against Earth. Cameos from Pete Shanahan, the Atlantis team, and a lot of people who've appeared throughout the series. SamDaniel, CamVala, ValaTomin, JackSara_

**Jackson Junior: Alternates**: _Spin-off of chapter 59 of Nuptial Preludes, following the alternate SG-1 that SG-1 encountered on Ortus Mallum. Having seen Sam and Daniel married in that other universe, this Sam and Daniel have a lot to think about. SamJack – for SamJack fans, SamDaniel, CamVala, ValaminiJack, CamCarolyn_

_**And now… for the story…**_

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SG-1, Daniel and Jack stood in the middle of a crowd of Jaffa and Tok'ra, in a hall on Dakara that had been recently named by the Free Jaffa as 'The Chamber of Justice.' At the back of the chamber, unknown to all on that plain of existence, stood a line of people dressed in earth-tone robes, waiting solemnly and serenely for what was to come, one such a figure greatly resembling Jacob Carter, another, Saroosh.

Jack asked, glancing at a pensive Daniel, "So, Space Monkey, what are they gonna do again?"

Daniel sighed and said, looking weary, "Jack…"

"No, run it by me one more time."

"Fine… they're going to wheel Baal out. The Tok'ra are going to remove his symbiote, and someone's going to execute it. As for the host… I don't know."

Sam, gazing at him worriedly, held his hand and he gazed back at her, squeezing her hand in acknowledgement. As Jack winced at the thought of what was to come despite not wanting to miss the execution of the recently captured System Lord for the world… or universe, Jonas said with a shrug,

"Well, it's intriguing to say the least that this, ah, could be the factor that finally unifies the Tok'ra and the Jaffa."

Jack said, "Not that I don't respect the Jaffa and their quest for peace an' all, but why are they doing it? So much for the whole fair trial thing…"

Daniel replied, his eyes sombre as Teal'c shot Jack a look worthy of a horror movie, "Jack, the Jaffa captured him and put him on trial. They need this to rebuild Dakara to what they had initially wanted it for… again."

Cam remarked, glancing at a grim faced Vala, "Well, just so long as nothing crazy happens, like he somehow happens to change the timeline so that we don't exist…"

When the rest of his friends looked at him oddly, he said, throwing his hands down, "What?! It could happen. He is a Goa'uld."

Jack shrugged and said, "Yeah, well, don't jinx it, Mitchell."

Teal'c said, standing resolutely, "I do not wish for Baal to find a way to escape his punishment otherwise he will continue as previously."

The rest of the humans exchanged little glances, and Jack asked, looking at Sam, "Carter, how come you're not getting stuck in with the symbiote removing?"

Sam, Daniel squeezing her hand as he gazed at her, replied, "I'm not too comfortable with using my surgical skills to cause death. Sure, I'm not a medical doctor with the Hippocratic Oath, but I'm not willing to compromise my own principles in ending a life like that."

Jack raised his eyebrows briefly just as Bra'tac strode out onto the stage at the front of the chamber, followed shortly by two Jaffa wheeling on Baal who was bound in a similar way to Hannibal Lecter, his mouth obscured by a scary mask, but still the former System Lord did his best to look as arrogant as possible. Jeers, hisses and boos rose exponentially from the crowd, many Jaffa hurling insults.

SG-1, Daniel and Jack turned to look around at the others in the audience, understanding, and Jack remarked, patting Daniel on the back, "Dannyboy, not bad for your first gig as SGC commander, eh?"

Daniel glanced at him briefly but said nothing, and they were all startled when after a long moment of shouting, Bra'tac clapped his hands and yelled, "Enough!"

The chamber immediately quietened, more in surprise than anything else, and Jack remarked aloud as his friends exchanged amused glances, "Gee, Bra'tac, you've still got it."

Bra'tac smiled in Jack's direction, and then took a deep breath before addressing the gathering, "Distinguished guests of the Tau'ri, of the Tok'ra and my brothers, the Jaffa, we are gathered here today to witness the demise of the last one who would claim to be our god and rule over us. Twice, we have been oppressed by false gods, and twice, we have overcome.

"We undoubtedly owe an unending debt of gratitude to the gallant warriors of the Tau'ri for their courage, cunning and great skill in defeating not only the Goa'uld, but the Replicators and the Ori. If it were not for them, we would not have secured Dakara, and we would surely not be free to talk against our former masters, let alone rise up against them."

The Tok'ra and Jaffa turned to look an embarrassed Earth contingent, Jack remarking as he scratched the back of his neck, Bra'tac grinning at the humans, "Aw, shucks. It was nothing."

"With the demise of three threats to the galaxy, let us rejoice in our FREEDOM!"

A huge cheer rang out in the chamber, and then two Tok'ra appeared, Anise and Juseen, the former carrying a box. Sam held Daniel's hand, Cam holding Vala's hand as they watched, their gaze transfixed as Rak'nor and another Jaffa unloaded Baal, none too gracefully on a raised metal table, energy bonds binding the Goa'uld's hands, midriff and feet so he couldn't escape, while several other Jaffa lined the wall behind the table with zats and staff weapons at the ready, getting ready in case he found some way to overcome his bonds.

Anise then prepared a syringe, injecting the former System Lord with it, and Sam whispered as her friends looked at her, "It's to knock him out – we did have an influence on this aspect of the procedure. They were originally going to do it when he was awake."

They, grimacing at that thought, watched as Baal's eyes closed, and then Juseen made the first incision. Jack put his arms around Teal'c and Daniel, Sam's arm around the Archaeologist's waist as the symbiote was eventually extracted and held up in all its bloody glory as the crowd made noises of fascination and disbelief. SG-1, Daniel and Jack shuddered at the sight of the slowly moving symbiote.

The symbiote was placed in a large tub as Anise injected Baal's now former host with another syringe, and Jack, looking across at Sam asked, "Carter?"

Sam, pressing her lips together briefly, replied as she glanced at her former CO, looking regretful, "They're waking him up, Sir. The Council wouldn't back down on this part."

Daniel slipped his arm around her waist, looking increasingly sad and upset at the situation, as the host's eyes opened and he spoke in an unknown tongue. Bra'tac looked confused and glanced at Rak'nor who looked equally confused, and the two Jaffa along with what appeared to be the rest of the room, looked at a now embarrassed Archaeologist. Sam hugged him quickly and he left, his face etched with pain as he remembered talking with Apophis' host.

Bra'tac, always happy to see Daniel, smiled as he stepped out of the way, Rak'nor too, as the Archaeologist went to the now terrified host's bedside. He held his hand and talked softly to him, looking increasingly upset. The host's eyes flickered closed as his hair turned white, still talking. Daniel closed his eyes briefly before turning to pull a flower from a nearby decorative arrangement. As he did so, he closed his eyes again as Rak'nor was given a zat. The Jaffa then shot the symbiote in the tub three times, disintegrating it as a huge clamour arose in the chamber.

Focussing on his duty, Daniel blinked back his tears and returned to the weak host, placing the flower in his clasped hands. The Archaeologist then placed a hand on the man's forehead, whispering some words and then, not meeting Rak'nor's eyes, asked Bra'tac for a zat. The Jaffa Master obliged, now looking concerned, and everyone quietened down as they watched Daniel, not least his friends.

Closing his eyes briefly once again, he discharged the zat three times just as the host took his dying breath, and a stunned silence fell over the entire chamber. As everyone watched him, he handed the zat back to Bra'tac and quickly made his way back to his friends, who looked at him, worried.

As Sam held his hand, Jack putting an arm around his shoulders, Vala asked, "Daniel?"

Daniel, his face emotionless, shook his head and said, "Let's go home."

--------------------

Aboard the Odyssey, in the privacy of their quarters, Sam held Daniel in his arms as he finally allowed his emotions to take hold. She gently ran her fingers through his hair as he wept, telling her about the host,

"He was a Priest at the Temple of Baal in Jerusalem five thousand years ago. He was made to watch five thousand years of… of… causing others pain and death, oppressing thousands upon millions of lives."

Tears running down her own cheeks, she whispered as she kissed his hair, "At least he died free, Daniel. They didn't give Baal a chance to release a toxin before he got pulled out."

He straightened up and asked, his eyes wet with tears as his voice wavered, "How many more Goa'ulds are out there Sam, all of them taking over innocent people's lives? There are people who lost the chance to live their lives and were made to watch helplessly as they did things beyond their control. How could the Goa'uld do that? How can they live with the knowledge of what they've done?"

Pressing her lips together briefly, she said as she stroked his jaw, "Daniel… I don't know what to say or do to take your pain away. I really don't but if I could, I would."

He gazed at her lovingly, replying, "Just you being here is helping. Thank you… and I'm sorry for being a bawling wreck."

She smiled briefly, remarking, "Daniel, we're married – we're supposed to be able to do this."

She held him in her arms again as he closed his eyes, and she said, gazing down at him before kissing his brow, "When we get to Earth, we'll have a long talk about this, ok? I don't want you storing this up like you do with other stuff. Promise?"

He kissed her, replying, "I promise. You're the only person I can tell anything to, and I trust you with my life."

Smiling through her waning tears, she nodded and said, "Me too."

They kissed one more time and she remarked as they dried their eyes, "How about we go before our friends get the wrong idea about what we're doing in here?"

He chuckled, embarrassed and pulled her into a hug, saying, "Sure, let's go."


	2. Different

At the SGC, Sam walked into the briefing room on the way to Daniel's new office, which had previously belonged to Hammond, Elizabeth (briefly), Jack and then Landry. She sighed, thinking how hard it had been for him to fill such a big role, and how she didn't get to see him as much outside of work. All the while, he was being overworked what with not only his new duties but also with being the foremost linguist on base.

Walking past the window, she smiled grimly on seeing that he wasn't alone, Landry, Woolsey and Jack present. She hesitated to knock on the door but he, having seen her through the window, called,

"Come on in, Colonel."

Smiling briefly on him using her title, she opened the door and nodding at the others in acknowledgement; she turned back to Daniel and said, mindful of their audience, "Jackson, how long are you going to be?"

He replied, looking tired, "It'll be a few hours yet… I'm sorry."

Looking at him concerned as Landry and Jack smiled knowingly, she said before closing the door behind her as she left, "Ok, don't be too late. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Sam."

She smiled at his lapsing into using her first name, and she walked out of the briefing room, nodding and smiling briefly on coming across Reynolds, Daniel's military second-in-command. Exhaling, she made her way to the lifts when Cam fell in step with her, asking, worried,

"Hey Sam, you ok?"

She smiled at him, strained, and replied, "I'm fine, Cam… just going to the Nursery and going home."

"Man, it can't be easy for you two to be such great parents and kick ass in your jobs."

She sighed and replied, running her fingers through her hair, "Well, it's challenging."

He chuckled briefly, remarking, "You'd say that even if you were tearing your hair out."

She smiled and was about to speak when they both heard the sound of someone running towards them from behind, and then Daniel call, "Sam!"

They stopped, and turned, Daniel running up to them, and Cam patted him on the back, remarking as Sam grinned, "Well, if it isn't 'action' Jackson."

Daniel briefly patted him on the shoulder, and Sam asked, "What's going on?"

Daniel nodded quickly and replied, "We've got some news from Atlantis… Liz is pregnant with Sheppard's child."

Sam's eyes widened in surprise and she looked at Cam, who looked surprised too, and she pulled Daniel into a hug, saying as she laughed, "Oh, didn't I tell you!? Didn't I tell you?! They're made."

Cam chuckled, and Daniel replied as they parted, smiling slightly at her excitement, "Well, anyway, the IOA want to take the opportunity to replace her with a military officer."

Sam, remembering the rumours about that, said, her smile gone, "I'm surprised the IOA suggested that seeing as it's a civilian expedition."

Cam said with a shrug, "They try to look out for their people from time to time, and if they're being threatened… why not?"

Sam glanced from Cam to Daniel, and asked, "Who are they sending? I'll bet it's General O'Neill seeing as he's had the relevant command experience."

Daniel shook his head and replied softly, his eyes showing sadness and fear momentarily, "You."

Cam and Sam exchanged a shocked look, and Sam said, "Me?! There are other people far more qualified than me… what about Shep… or even Lorne?"

"They need someone who knows the lie of the land and has exceptional combat and leadership skills. Sheppard and Lorne are field officers. Sam, you really don't give yourself nearly enough credit. You're perfect. Just think, you'll be able to use your experience not only as a team lead, but also as a scientist and soldier. There really isn't anyone else as qualified as you are.

"Anywho, it's only a suggestion. The IOA haven't officially nominated you yet. Don't think about it too much – I'm not supposed to tell you yet. I just thought you should know."

Sam asked gently, "How long are you going to be?"

"Oh, there's all sorts going on… I'll hopefully be home during the sane side of midnight."

Noticing how tired he looked, she remarked to Cam, "Mitchell, turn away."

Cam rolled his eyes and retorted as he did so, "Whatever you say, Colonel."

She then kissed a bemused Daniel, holding him tight. When they parted, they caressed each other's faces, and she whispered, smiling, "Don't be too late."

She kissed him again and smiled as his eyes glazed over, the poor man looking dazed, and Cam called, "Can I turn around now?"

Laughing, Sam said, "Sure, go ahead."

Cam turned around and remarked, "Just as well… I don't want to be at the conception of any more of your kids."

They simultaneously blushed, feeling awkward, and Daniel said, "Shut up, Mitchell."

Sam hugged Daniel again, gently rubbing his lower back and she said, looking at his tired features, "You really should take more breaks… I'm worried about you."

He opened his mouth to reply but she remarked, her hands on his shoulders, "No, don't say it, Jackson – you're not fine. Just take it easy, ok?"

He nodded, smiling slightly as he gazed at her, and Cam said, patting Daniel on the shoulder, "Don't let them push you around. I know it's a big job but you don't want to be someone's puppet."

"Thanks, Mitchell."

Fondly touching Daniel's face, Sam said with an equally fond smile, "Go on back to your office before General O'Neill makes your life a living hell."

She gently kissed his cheek, and they bade each other goodnight, Cam too, and with a lingering glance directed at her husband, Sam and Cam walked to the lifts, Daniel watching them go with a wistful expression before he turned on his heel with a heavy sigh to return to the meeting in his office.


	3. Home, Friends, and Talks

_Lyrics featured are You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban_

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Sam and Cam ended up going back to the Carter-Jackson residence with not only the sleeping twins, but also SG-1, who insisted on helping out, not wanting Sam to be alone. Teal'c, holding James, and Sam, holding Cammie, went upstairs to put the twins in their cribs, Cam following them up as Jonas and Vala went about making coffee downstairs.

Sam watched the twins sleep, Cam and Teal'c's arms around her waist and she leant her head on the Jaffa's shoulder, sad that Daniel wouldn't be able to make it home until late. The twins began to stir, whimpering in their sleep, and Sam stepped closer to the cribs, singing gently,

"_When I am down, and oh, my soul's so weary,  
When troubles come, my heart burdened be,  
And I am still, and wait here in the silence,  
Until you come, and stay a while with me…_"

She was surprised but kept on singing when Teal'c and Cam joined in.

"_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains,  
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas,  
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders,  
You raise me up, to more than I can be…_"

--------------------

SG-1 sat around the kitchen table with mugs of coffee, talking, a baby monitor in the centre. Teal'c said,

"I do believe that DanielJackson is correct, Samantha. You are indeed well qualified to assume command of the Atlantis expedition. You are a great warrior, a scholar, and a good leader. You will succeed – of that I have no doubt."

Sam, embarrassed, looked down at her mug, and Jonas added as Cam and Vala smiled at Teal'c's unique rhetoric, "Here, here! Sam's going to make us even more proud of her."

Sam shook her head and said, her cheeks still red, "I don't understand how they'll work it out, or even how the IOA suggested me for the leader position of a civilian expedition without a full-scale diplomatic incident. I mean, ok, Canada and Britain _might_ accept it if it's proved that the lives of their expedition members are definitely in danger by being out there with a civilian in charge, France, Italy and India too… but China and especially Russia are going to veto the nomination."

Jonas remarked fondly, "Spoken like a true diplomat's wife."

She smiled briefly in reply, and Vala said with a shrug, "If you're the person they want, there's no point beleaguering the point."

Cam added, glancing at Vala, "Jackson pointed it out earlier – you've got everything. You'll be one multi-faceted leader. They'll know that so that's why they nommed you. Just think about it – why you? Out of all the other USAF officers they could have chosen, why you?"

Sam nodded, deep in thought as she looked down in her mug, and she replied softly, "Well, be that as it may, I can't leave Daniel. He's not managing his new job yet and he can't look after the twins by himself."

SG-1 exchanged odd looks, Teal'c remarking, "DanielJackson will not be alone, Samantha. He will have us."

Sam shook her head, smiling ruefully as she replied, "I can't have you guys losing out on a life like that."

Cam remarked with an intense expression as Vala and Teal'c raised their eyebrows at him, "Sam… we work at the SGC – we have no lives."

Jonas, amused, retorted, "We do have lives but they revolve around the mountain."

Cam, surprised and in the mood for a bout of embarrassing, said, "Oh-ho! So you and Carolyn, then?"

As the rest of SG-1 smiled at their favourite Kelownan, Jonas replied, embarrassed, "There, ah, isn't an 'us'."

Sam remarked in bemusement, "Jonas, you've been planning on asking her out since before Daniel and I got married."

Vala said as she looked at the Kelownan with fond amusement, "Our little man's a touch shy when it comes to that scary Doctor Lam."

Cam remarked with a chuckle, "Ah, that says it all."

Teal'c added, smirking, "Indeed."

Sam patted Jonas' hand and said, "I think she'd like it. You guys have got closer these past couple of months, and trust me, she doesn't let guys get too close because of problems with her Dad. She used to be even more stand-offish when she first started here, but her and the General have had the chance to mend fences these last few years."

Jonas nodded, and Cam remarked, "Man, I'd pay good money to see his face when he finds out that you're digging his little girl."

Sam, Teal'c and Vala all shot Cam dirty looks as Jonas looked increasingly apprehensive. Just then, they could hear the sound of cries over the monitor, letting them know that the twins were hungry. They each smiled, and Sam said, getting up and saving Jonas from further embarrassment,

"Come on Quinn, let's move out. SG point one need feeding."


	4. Sleep

As Sam lay in bed, reading a book and waiting up for the Archaeologist, she thought wistfully about their future. Daniel was still struggling with his new post a month into it, and if she were to be officially nominated to go to Atlantis, how could she leave him? He wouldn't be able to manage, and it wouldn't be fair to constantly depend on their friends.

Putting the book down on the nightstand, she clutched her pillow to her stomach as she sat up, still deep in thought, and she sighed. Just then, she heard the distant sound of the front door opening and closing, and, after a minute or so, the sound of familiar footfalls on the stairs. She continued reading her book, not wanting to worry him, and a couple of minutes later, after checking in on the twins, he entered the room, looking close to death.

Fully clothed, he sat next to her on the bed, the back of his head resting on the wall, and she said, worried as she put the book down again, "God, Daniel… you've overdone it again, haven't you?"

"Oh… had a lot of paperwork… and Balinsky kept bugging me…"

He blinked slowly and asked drowsily, "How was your day, honey?"

She snapped, even more worried, "Never you mind. Lie down."

Much to her dismay, he was too tired to object or rebel, and when he had lain down, his eyes closed, unable to keep them open for any longer, and she suddenly got scared, wondering how he had got home safely in this state. She carefully stripped him down to his boxers, pulling the sheets over him, and with a little sigh, she turned the bedside light off and draped an arm over his bare stomach, whispering,

"You really have got to pace yourself, Daniel."

She lightly kissed his brow and settled down next to him, smoothing his stomach as she joined him in the land of Nod.

--------------------

She was awoken a few hours later by moans and sounds of protest, the figure next to her moving in his sleep. Having become familiar with the situation over the years they had been together, she switched the bedside light on and was shocked nonetheless on seeing his face contort in pain as he battled his memories. She gently smoothed his stomach, tears in her eyes and then she held him in her arms, running her fingers through his hair as she whispered, kissing him,

"It's ok, Daniel. You're safe… you're safe. It's just a nightmare."

He eventually calmed down, breathing evenly as his arm instinctively went around her waist. She switched the light off and wrapped her own arms around him, and was all set to go back to sleep, when he whispered,

"Sam?"

"Daniel?"

He kissed her, whispering, "Thank you… for being you."

She said, worried, "I'm worried about you Daniel. How long are you going to be able to keep this up for? Surely you don't have to do all that work? Reynolds doesn't look nearly as worn down as you."

"Oh, but I'm the leader of the base… civilian or otherwise, and I have responsibilities."

"You're also human."

He ran a hand down her hip and replied, "I miss you."

She kissed him, replying, "I miss you too. It's hard doing everything I'd usually do with you, without you."

They held onto each other and kissed once more, and he said gently, "I've just got to get used to it… and yes, ok, I'll try to spread the work out a little more."

"Don't forget to let Jonas be the head of your old department in more than just name only."

He chuckled, remarking, "Try telling the departmental staff that… they keep knocking on my door between big meetings."

She said gently, smoothing his neck and shoulder, "I… I don't want to lose you, Daniel. Take care of yourself."


	5. Looney Toons

One Saturday, on her day-off, Sam lay on the couch, the twins sat on her stomach as they watched Looney Toons. Daniel had been called to D.C. for a meeting with the President, and she found herself not only thinking about how he was doing, but also that it was her birthday… and no-one had seemed to remember it.

Suddenly, Cammie clambered towards her, and Sam touched the little girl's face gently, asking, "What is it, sweetie?"

"Where's Daddy?"

James turned on hearing the question and waited for his mother's reply. Sam replied, gently smoothing James' hair as well as Cammie's face, "Daddy's gone but he's going to come back by tonight… you might see him if you get up early enough tomorrow."

Cammie began to cry, calling for Daniel, and Sam sighed as James joined in, the TV forgotten. She sat up, holding them both tightly as she said gently, tears in her own eyes, "Ssh, don't cry. Daddy's coming home again."

They eventually stopped crying and she kissed them both, drying their eyes and cleaning up their noses with a tissue. She smoothed their hair, and they went back to sitting on her stomach and watching the TV, intermittently bouncing up and down, and squealing with laughter.

Chuckling softly, she remarked, "Your Daddy may be immortal but I'm not."

James grinned at her and then moved closer to her face and kissed her cheek. Sam smiled as she smoothed his hair. Suddenly, both he and his sister began to shout angrily at the television during a scene where Sylvester got mauled by Granny's dogs, and then began bawling their eyes out, saying between whimpers,

"Poo' kitty!"

Sam, frowning in bemusement at first, smirked on realising why they were crying, and she sat up, holding them tightly as they sobbed into her t-shirt. She smoothed their hair and remarked,

"It's only a cartoon, and besides, Sylvester's the bad guy for trying to get Tweety."

Cammie said angrily, "Bad T'eety!"

"Look young lady, how about if you and your brother have a bath instead of yelling at fictional and anthropomorphic avians?"

--------------------

Sam bathed her children, the twins drenching her and the bathroom by splashing while they squealed. Finished, she pulled Cammie out first and then James, before proceeding to dry them. As she finished drying Cammie, James shivering noisily, said little boy escaped from the confines of the bathroom, squealing with laughter as he ran out onto the landing stark naked. Sam, exasperated, remarked,

"Your brother's a born naturist just like Daddy. Stay here."

Sam went off after her son, eventually finding him hiding under one of the beds in the guest room, still giggling, and she said, reaching for him, "James, come on."

He continued squealing with laughter and she eventually managed to stretch far enough and grabbed him, pulling him out. She wrapped him in a towel and carried him on her shoulder back to the bathroom, but on the way, discovered that Cammie had escaped, and was now jumping up and down on her parents' bed, still naked.

Sam rolled her eyes and remarked under her breath, "What is with it with Jacksons and nudity?"

She said, tired, "Cammie, come on, get down."

Cammie, giggling, leapt up and down, shaking her head, and Sam said, closing her eyes briefly and trying to remain calm, "Cameron, down – now."

Still Cammie refused so Sam made to grab her by force, but instead of coming along quietly, she screamed in rage, flopping down on the bed on her backside, and then punching and kicking the bed as she lay on her front. Sam groaned in frustration and said as her headache grew,

"Cameron, don't do this to me."

Sighing, she grabbed James, taking him back to the Nursery to get him dressed. In his crib as she put a nappy on him, he asked, "Cammie bad?"

Sam remarked, gazing down at the boy fondly, "No, she's just awkward and temperamental, just like Daddy."

He grinned up at her as she proceeded to dress him, and she continued, her smile wistful, "I'll bet Daddy was a lot like you before his parents went to heaven. You're so cheerful… and he still has that aspect of optimism to him. I hope you never have to go through what he's been through."

Picking him up, she kissed his nose as he giggled, and feeling a little better, she returned to her bedroom. Not caring that Cammie was still screaming, Sam hauled the little girl back to the Nursery, putting the girl's nappy on and going about dressing her. Sam said as she dressed her,

"What's Daddy going to say if he hears what you've done?"

James, who had climbed up on the bars of the crib, said, "Naughty, Cammie."

Cammie blew a raspberry in spite, looking increasingly moody as she shot back, "FUBAR!"

Sam, shocked, reproved the little girl, saying, "Cameron Carter-Jackson, I never want to hear you talk like that to your brother again."

Cammie blew another raspberry and as James shouted at her reprovingly, Sam, briefly amused, picked him around his waist and lifted him from the crib bars, telling him not to climb up again. Cammie then flopped down on her backside, belligerently refusing to co-operate with being dressed, shouting her favourite word every so often.

Sam, closing her eyes briefly, said as she rubbed her temples, "Cameron, don't do this. Stop it."

"Poopy."

Cammie then proceeded to scream and shout as Sam fought to remain composed, feeling stressed as she said, trying to control her voice, "Cammie, please."

Cam and Teal'c appeared in the doorway, concerned as they saw Sam looking increasingly fragile, James scampering over to them and saying as Teal'c picked him up, "Cammie bad."

Cammie yelled in protest, "FUBAR!"

Sam closed her eyes and tried to remember where Daniel had stashed the aspirin, and she looked up in surprise when Cam placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and Teal'c, asking,

"What are you guys doing here?"

Cam replied, "Well, just dropped in to see you when we heard the negotiations… Come on, we'll give you a break. My little surrogate niece is giving you grief."

He looked down at a now subdued Cammie, remarking sternly, "Young lady, that is no way to behave with your Mom, ok? You're lucky you're not older 'cos my Dad used to belt me something nasty when I was naughty. Now are you going to put your clothes on like a big girl or is Uncle Cam going to have to do it? At the moment, I'm none too pleased at you harassing my CO and best friend so you're gonna regret it."

Cammie stared up at him for a moment and then proceeded to put the rest of her clothes on without a word as Cam held a drained Sam, Teal'c remarking, "You would make a good father, ColonelMitchell…or a Prison guard."

--------------------

As Cam entertained the twins in the lounge, Sam stood in the kitchen, near the back window as she quietly wept, holding the edge of the sink. A concerned Teal'c entered the kitchen, closing the door behind him as he said,

"Samantha."

When she didn't turn around, he approached her, gently touching her shoulder before turning her around and holding her close. She wept against his chest as he held her firmly, gazing down at her worriedly. She said between sobs,

"I'm a terrible mother, Teal'c. Daniel always seems to know what to do and he doesn't get all emotional about a temper tantrum. I don't think they even have those with him. I wish he was here right now – I miss him."

"On the contrary, Samantha. You are an excellent mother. All children provide challenges and these you must endure as part of the process. As for DanielJackson's absence, you are not alone. You have ColonelMitchell and myself, as well as JonasQuinn and ValaMalDoran."

"No offence, Teal'c, but you guys being here and he being here are two different things… God, that sounded rude. I'm sorry."

"Do not apologise. I understand. DanielJackson is the father and mother of your children, and it is only right that he should be with you."

He smoothed her hair and she replied, her eyes closed as she held onto him tighter, "Thanks Teal'c."

Cam opened the door and poked his head in, looking concerned on seeing the state that Sam was in, and he entered, replacing Teal'c as Sam continued to cry. Teal'c said to him, his expression grave,

"Samantha doubts her ability as a mother."

Cam nodded and rested his chin on her head as Teal'c left to take Cam's job in the lounge. He gently rubbed her back and said, kissing her hair briefly,

"Sam, you're a great mother. Don't ever think less of yourself. You've handled them so well. Sure, you couldn't cope with a tantrum but that's normal."

Sam held him closer, whispering sadly, "Daniel manages things far better than I ever could. I'm just a lousy Mom who isn't going to see her husband until nightfall."

"Aw Sam, this is all going to work out, ok? You'll see him more often especially when his work levels out."

Gazing down at her, he asked, worried, "Why don't you go upstairs and get some rest? You need it."

She made to object but he continued, "Nope, I don't care if you outrank me now but you're still got to get some rest or I'll get Carolyn round to scare the fear of God into you."

He hugged her before he escorted her from the kitchen, Teal'c looking up from his seated position on the couch, the twins in his laps as he played with them. Cammie, looking suitably chastened, slowly went up to her mother and she said,

"Sorry, Mommy."

Sam knelt to the little girl's level and, tears in her eyes, hugged her, whispering, "That's ok, sweetie."

James leapt out of Teal'c's hold, and Sam hugged him too, kissing his hair. She then said to them both, still looking strained and fragile, "I want you to behave yourself for Uncle Teal'c and Uncle Cam, ok? Mommy's got to go and have a little rest."

James, now looking sad, asked, "Where you going, Mommy?"

Smoothing his hair as she gazed at him affectionately, she replied, "Just upstairs. I'll see you later."

She gently kissed them both, and Teal'c said, looking concerned, or as concerned as his Jaffa training would let him, "Samantha."

Pressing her lips together briefly as she stood up, Cam's hand on the small of her back as he looked more and more concerned, she replied, "I'm fine, Teal'c… thanks."


	6. Conspiracies, Flowers and a Pendant

As Sam lay in bed, the drapes pulled shut as she felt increasingly depressed at everything, bringing up more and more things to feel depressed about by the half hour, Cam and Teal'c, soon joined by Jonas and Vala, played with the twins. As Cam helped his alien team-mates and surrogate niece and nephew to construct a wooden block version of the SGC, minus the Stargate of course, he said with a little sigh before smiling at Cammie, smoothing Vala's hand,

"I hope she's gonna be ok. She did look pretty close to being a wreck, which is saying something for her. Sam's the strongest person I know."

As Jonas nodded in acquiescence, Vala raising an eyebrow mirthfully, Teal'c said as he corrected Vala's reconstruction of the control room, "Samantha is a courageous warrior, who has proved herself time and time again in battle and with a vast array of technologies and craft."

Vala remarked, "That's nothing compared to bringing up kids, believe me…"

They all exchanged odd albeit guarded looks, mindful of the twins' presence. Jonas with a slight raise of his eyebrows thought how he had dodged a bullet in not encountering Adria any earlier than he had done during Sam and Daniel's maternity leave. The Kelownan said, flashing a smile at the twins,

"I guess a group of super soldiers… or… or, an army of Jaffa or Replicators is a different kettle of fish from coping with Cammie's tantrums and James' streaking spells."

Teal'c, looking at Vala, remarked, "Only a parent would truly understand that comparison."

Vala, smiling in amusement, asked, "So Muscles, what did your delightful young man of a son get up to?"

Teal'c replied, making his friends laugh, "Ry'ac once climbed upon the roof of our house with the intention of imitating a Death Glider. He failed and was bedridden for two moons."

Vala remarked, "I'll bet you did worse when you were a boy."

"ValaMalDoran… it is a galactically known fact that a Jaffa does not remain sedentary during his childhood."

His friends laughed, and Teal'c said with a grim expression, "You will speak no more of this."

Cam chuckled, Jonas patting the Jaffa on the back, and Vala said with a sigh, throwing her hands up, "Fine, ok, Muscles… Well, why can't we build a Stargate here? It can't be the SGC without the Stargate… in a way, it puts the 'SG' in SGC. It would be just 'C' otherwise which isn't nearly as interesting."

Cam remarked as Jonas smirked, "Ah, you still thinking about that episode of Wormhole X-Treme where their 'gate wasn't seen at all despite the central plotline being about the darned thing?"

Jonas said, "Well, I may not be from round here, but it appears that reconstructing the Stargate outside of the SGC would result in us all being arrested, and just think of our reputations."

Teal'c remarked with a raised eyebrow, "I do not wish to be incarcerated for constructing a Stargate from children's wooden blocks. We would not be permitted to forget it."

Cam added with a grin, "Damn straight, if we're gonna get busted, it should be something much cooler than getting caught with colourful blocks… like being drug dealers."

Jonas rolled his eyes as Teal'c's eyebrow shot up, Vala looking bored at the idea, and the Kelownan remarked, "Please, that is as almost as old and hackneyed as a train or bank robbery… and besides, what kind of an example are we setting for our, ah, niece and nephew here?"

They all exchanged looks, and Vala said, looking thoughtful, "We'd need Lego for the finer parts and, seeing as our little family are too young for it, we'll have to make do without."

As Cammie clambered onto Cam's lap, the Colonel playing with her hair as she rested her head on his shoulder, he replied to Vala, gazing at her intensely, "_No_ Stargates. Seriously, we could get busted for treason – Jonas was right, and our reps would sink faster than a showing of the Jerry Springer opera at the Vatican."

Jonas said with a little smile, "Sam has Lego."

When Cam or Teal'c didn't look surprised, Vala, who was definitely surprised having believed that their Commanding Officer was more strait-laced and professional than that, asked, "You knew?"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow and Cam replied with a shrug, "Yeah, of course. She's got Meccano as well. The girl likes to tinker with stuff. Anyway, all good Air Force officers have at least one set."

"Oh… I thought you were being funny with your… _Knights of the Round Table_ set."

"Well, duh, but yeah, it's a universal thing – trust me."

Teal'c said, "O'Neill possesses the Pirates, and Police Station sets."

As Vala and Jonas looked intrigued, Cam remarked, "Wow. Who'd've thunk it? I'll bet Generals Hammond and Landry never had any… Nah, scratch that, just Landry 'cos I heard about Hammond's devotion to his granddaughters and he's bound to have _played_ with Lego at some point."

Nothing was said for a moment as they used the blocks from the reconstructed SGC for smaller projects, and then Jonas asked, "Does Sam still think that we've forgotten her birthday?"

Cam and Teal'c exchanged a glance, Vala smiling, and the Colonel replied, "Yeah… we were pretty cool, weren't we T?"

"I believe we surpassed the state of cool."

Cam and Teal'c hi-fived, the Colonel exuberantly calling out as Cammie and James laughed, "Yeah!"

He then had to hi-five the twins, on pain of listening to them cry, and Teal'c said, "DanielJackson instructed us on where to conceal the gifts and when to expect his gift…"

Just then the doorbell rang, and Cam remarked as he got up, "I'll get that, seeing as I'm the most normal person under this roof."

His team-mates all shot him dirty looks as he went to answer the door, Cammie following him. He returned a couple of minutes later with a huge, vibrant floral arrangement that he could barely see past, and he said quietly, stopping Cammie and then James from touching it,

"T, get the stuff. Vala, get the cake out."

Vala quickly put the blocks away before following Teal'c and Jonas into the kitchen, and Cam placed the arrangement down on the coffee table, remarking with a puzzled look, "The boy sure has style."

Vala emerged from the kitchen, a chocolate stain on the tip of her nose, and she remarked, "Come on, it's Daniel – the man's a born romantic."

Cam did a double-take and stepped closer to her. She feigned innocence as he, looking at her in his intense way, rubbed the smudge off her nose with his thumb. Looking at the chocolate on said appendage, Vala shrugged and asked unconvincingly,

"How did _that_ get there? Earth kitchens…"

"Here's a tip. If you're gonna be greedy enough to eat your CO's birthday cake, at least hide the evidence."

Vala rolled her eyes and remarked, "I only had a taste… I didn't cut it."

He sighed and said to an amused Jonas, "On second thoughts, Jonas – you take care of the cake."

--------------------

The rest of SG-1 bearing an array of envelopes and packages with the twins carrying a few envelopes, Teal'c ascended the stairs with the floral arrangement, and gently knocked on the door to the Master bedroom. Cam went in front of him and poked his head into the room when Sam called for whomever it was to come in, and he said,

"Hey Sam… can we come in?"

She sat up in the darkened room and asked, looking worried as Cam, quickly handing his load back to Jonas, entered the room to open the drapes, "What's wrong? What's happened? Is Daniel alright?"

"The boy's fine. We just wanted to say…"

He went back to the door, opening it wider and she looked stunned on seeing Teal'c barely visible behind the flowers, and Jonas and Vala carrying packages and envelopes. She looked up at Cam, confused, and he smiled saying with the rest of his friends,

"Happy birthday."

The twins clambered onto the bed and kissed her on the cheek, whispering breathlessly, "Happy bir'day, Mommy."

She hugged them both and said with an emotional smile as she looked overwhelmed, "I thought everyone forgot."

As the rest of the team filed in, handing her the presents and whatnot, Cam remarked with a little glare as he sat on the edge of the bed, "_Samantha, _you should know us better."

He kissed her on the cheek, and said, "We were just waiting for that husband of yours to mobilise us. Y'know, for a civilian, he sure likes the whole military thing."

She smiled, and he said, glancing around at their friends, "Right, we better skedaddle 'cos you probably want to be alone with Jackson's present… We'll be downstairs if you need anything, ok?"

She nodded, whispering her thanks, and he hugged her, looking concerned. Vala said, "We'll take the other stuff downstairs…"

Teal'c leaned down to caress Sam's cheek and he smiled slightly, Jonas and Vala fondly smoothing her hair before they all picked up the packages and envelopes, leaving the flowers. Cam guided the twins out of the room and the team followed, giving Sam some time alone to think of Daniel.

--------------------

Left alone with the flowers, Sam threw the covers off her lower half and swung her legs off the bed to look at the present which was on the floor. Wiping away the moisture in her eyes as she smiled, she picked up the arrangement, placing it on the bed. She sat in the middle of the bed as she looked at the wide variety of flowers, ranging from ferns to heather to roses, and tears involuntarily ran down her cheeks.

She opened the attached envelope, pulling out a beautiful card which read inside,

"_Happy Birthday, my fair Guinevere._

_Your Galahad._

_PS: Check out the base of the arrangement._"

Putting the card aside, she looked at the base as instructed but found nothing of interest. She narrowed her eyes and smiled as a thought occurred to her and she peeked in between the flowers, looking inside the base and caught sight of a medium sized object in a thick plastic bag. Frowning, she pulled it out, noticing how heavy it was as she lifted it in her palm and she remarked quietly with a wistful smile,

"You never do anything by halves, Daniel."

She worked the bag open with the edge of her dog tags, and was surprised to say the least when a light coloured wooden box fell out, Chinese ideograms in dark ink on each of the faces. Looking at it with her keen eyes, she realised that it was a puzzle box and with a little smile, she went about unlocking it.

Eventually, she succeeded and gasped on seeing a golden scarab which was studded with four small emeralds and attached to a chain, two folded pieces of paper beneath it. As she held the scarab in her palm, overcome with emotion once again as she thought of how thoughtful he was to have remembered and planned for her birthday despite being away, and she opened the smaller piece of paper, which read,

"_Greetings, Samantha Carter-Jackson. I am Neferu, your Scarab guide from the land of the Nile. As I am believed to bring good fortune, Daniel Jackson has ordered me to remain with you at all times. May good fortune shine on you forever._"

More tears ran down her cheeks and she kissed the pendant, whispering, "Only you, Daniel."

She opened the other piece of paper and cried harder as she read the following,

"_My fair Guinevere,_

_Happy Birthday!_

_I am so sorry to have missed your birthday. You are the most important thing to me in the entire Universe. Unfortunately, the D.C. meeting came at short notice, but still, it doesn't excuse my absence._

_I just knew that you would be able to solve the puzzle box. You could never resist an enigma, and there's hope if, after twelve or so years in this job, we all resemble the people that we started out as._

_I love you so much Samantha, and I am so proud of you. I have watched you grow and develop, running away with the role of SG-1 lead this past year. You are amazing. I guess I'm still amazed that you love me back… it really does make me smile in disbelief from time to time._

_You are an absolutely great soldier, scientist, leader, friend, wife and mother. I know you would never admit to any of that but you never did give yourself enough credit. You are one amazing, brilliant, beautiful woman with a mind the size of a galaxy. Cammie and James are so lucky to have a mother like you… really. I only wish that I could do half as well as you do._

_I wish I could be there with you, holding you in my arms. I don't like missing your birthday or any other moment with you, but duty calls. Whatever happens in the next couple of weeks or beyond that, I just want you to know how proud I am of you, how I love you, believe in you, and have the utmost faith in your abilities. You really blow me away a lot of time._

_I love you with all my heart and soul, and am proud that you are my wife, best friend, colleague, and the mother of our children. You really are great, and I'll hopefully see you tonight._

_Yours forever,_

_your Galahad._

_PS: in a similar manner to the craziness of our jobs, your scarab has a secret which I have no doubt that you will find within minutes. The four emeralds, by the way, symbolise our family. One emerald also represents eleven years of your age._"

She lie down, clutching the scarab in her hand as she wept, wishing that Daniel could be there to hold her, to kiss her. Curling up in a foetal position, she whispered between sobs,

"I love you too, Daniel. I love you too…"

Wiping her tears away as she felt more and more sad and depressed, she gazed at the scarab and she smiled slightly on spotting something. She prised it open and she was startled when four little delicate looking round frames folded out, each containing a tiny picture of a Carter-Jackson. As she realised that the entire thing was _really_ gold and emeralds, she worried about how he could have bought it, and she began to cry again at the thought that he had put into the present.

Unfastening the clasp on the chain, she put it around her neck, the scarab hanging with the St Christopher, and she gazed at the two necklaces, kissing them both and then held onto them, closing her eyes as she thought of her husband so far away.


	7. The Doctor Returns

Daniel returned much later than planned, having gone to the SGC to change out of his suit which, contrary to popular opinion, he hated wearing, and took his shoes off before going upstairs, knowing that Sam was asleep. He noticed, much to his bemusement at first, a vase of colourful flowers placed on a small table on the landing, and then, following an instinct, he peeked into the guest room and bathroom, finding similar vases, and he smiled.

Still smiling, he quietly went into the twins' room and watched them sleep as he leaned over their cribs, tenderly smoothing their fair hair. He whispered as he did so,

"I hope you didn't cause trouble for Mommy today."

He left, closing the door carefully behind him, and entered his and Sam's room to find Sam asleep, bathed in the dusky light of the bedside lamp, clutching her St Christopher and scarab in her hand. Flanking the bed, much to his further amusement, were two more vases similar to the ones he had seen before.

Gazing at her affectionately, he took his clothes of f before going to shower. He returned and lay next to her, his arm around her waist. He gently kissed her lips and watched as she slowly smiled in her sleep, whispering,

"Daniel."

He smiled, his eyes moist and he whispered, "Sorry for missing your birthday, honey."

He reached over to switch the light off when her eyes flickered open and she said in surprise as she stretched, "Daniel? I thought it was a dream."

After they kissed, he remarked, a touch embarrassed, "You dream about me?"

"Oh, you bet."

Stroking his stomach as he kissed her forehead, she asked, "How was the meeting?"

"Oh… yeah, the IOA want you to go, and the President's fine with it. It turns out that he suggested you in the first place."

When she looked surprised, he said, rolling his eyes, "Oh, come on, Samantha – I meant what I said about you not giving yourself enough credit. You're amazing."

He nuzzled her throat, kissing her shoulder and she put her arms around him, whispering, "I've missed you."

"God, I've missed you too. I'm really sorry."

As her fingers wandered toyed with the waistband of his boxers, she replied, kissing his chest, "Don't be. You did what you had to do, and I'm proud of you."

He gazed at her softly and replied, stroking her waist, "Not as much as I am of you…"

He sighed and said, a confusion of emotions in his eyes, "They're planning on bringing Liz back this week or the next on the Daedalus… It depends on the outcome of the meeting with Richard tomorrow. He's going to officially put it on the table to you."

She didn't know what to say as she stared back at him, and then she said, shaking her head, "Daniel, how can I possibly go?"

"Sam, you're perfect. It's everything that you've been working for this past decade and more."

She shook her head and said, "You're barely managing with your new job… and I can't leave the twins. Look, let's talk about this tomorrow – you must be tired."

He ran her finger s through her hair, remarking with a little smile, "I might fall asleep by the time you get to throwing punches."

She rolled her eyes and he asked, kissing her gently, "Hey, did you have any of your cake?"

Her gaze fell as she replied quietly, "I didn't want to eat any without you."

--------------------

Downstairs, Sam and Daniel sat together on the couch, their knees touching, and plates of chocolate cake on their laps as they laughed and talked. He remarked, amused as he sighted more vases around the lounge,

"I see you liked those flowers."

She leant over to kiss him, replying with a smile, "I loved everything about your present, Daniel. It was beautiful and thoughtful."

Putting her plate down on the coffee table, she slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him. When she pulled back, she smiled on noticing that he looked completely dazed, and put his plate on the table for safety's sake. After she had done so, he returned the kiss, whispering as his voice broke,

"I've missed this."

Knowing that he was talking about their limited intimacy since the start of his current posting, she nodded, tears in her eyes as she said quietly, "Me too. We'll work it out eventually, Daniel. You've just got to find a way to pace yourself… and not only let Jonas do your old work, but also let Reynolds do at least half of your current work."

He sighed softly, saying, "Sam…"

"I know you're disturbingly attached to everything you touch, but you really are only human despite having an apparent inability to die."

He stroked her cheek and kissed her, whispering, "I've given some of my stuff to Reynolds already. It's something like 60-40 now."

"Hmm, that's better than before."

They continued kissing, month long dormant feelings and sensations reawakening, and she straddled his lap as his hands moved to her waist. They parted, giggling at the reciprocal taste of chocolate, and her mouth descended on his, both of them groaning. When they parted again, he whispered as she suddenly looked down,

"Sam… I don't think we want to risk being caught by Mitchell… or anyone else, again after giving into temptation down here."

She chuckled as she slid off his lap, replying, "At least he didn't catch us that time."

"True, but we came _that_ close to traumatising our former CO."

She asked, "What time do you have to go in tomorrow?"

He remarked, gazing at her with a little smile, "What does it matter – I won't be able to sleep anyway."

--------------------

They lay together, a tangle of limbs, thoroughly sated and feeling as though they could soar. He kissed her neck, whispering as he stroked her bare stomach,

"If we didn't have jobs or responsibilities, we could so easily be sex addicts… and I wouldn't want to be cured."

She grinned, replying, "Neither would I… especially with you. I seriously cannot believe that you haven't done anything for seven years before Cammie and James came into our lives."

Her smiled faded as she continued, "I would've thought that someone would have been lucky enough."

He blushed, chuckling softly and he said gently, "I've never been one for one-night stands or casual sex… and besides, no-one, including all of those weird blind dates that Janet forced me to go to, could hold a candle to that Astrophysicist of mine."

She kissed the sensitive part of his neck, remarking with a chuckle, "Those blind dates were so funny. You never saw anyone of them more than once."

"They were either insane, dense… or both."

She laughed, stroking his stomach, and she said, suddenly sad, "I don't know how long I'll be over in Atlantis but I know I'm going to miss you."

He held her close, inwardly not wanting her to go, and he whispered, kissing her hair, "We'll work it out, Sam… We did agree that the galaxies were more important than us. To be honest, you're more important than anything to me and I would rather that you stay but they need you. There's a reason, or several why you are the only candidate."

Her voice wavering with emotion, she clung onto him, replying, "I feel the same about you, Daniel…"

She sighed, and he said, "It's going to be hard but we'll work it out. Jack's agreed to move in."

Her eyes widened in surprise and she asked, "He is?"

He nodded, his fingers tracing her lips as he replied, his eyes focussed on his caresses, "He insisted. General Landry's going to resign next summer before living with Carolyn's mother and so he's going to fill in for Jack between when you go and then."

She rested her head on his chest, and he continued, his fingers unconsciously tapping out a gentle rhythm on her shoulder, "We'll be fine, Sam. We always are and we always will be."


	8. Fixing Fences

The next day, as Sam went to a meeting in Daniel's office with the Archaeologist, Woolsey and Jack, Cam wandered through the corridors of the SGC, thinking of the prospect of his best friend going so far away, as well as the impasse in his relationship with his emotionally wrecked girlfriend.

As he neared the Commissary, intending to see if Teal'c was there so he could ask the big man for advice, he saw Vala coming the other way. The two of them paused, gazing at each other wistfully over the five feet of floor that lay between them. He said, trying to sound casual but failing as he sounded broken,

"Vala."

She replied, tears in her eyes and voice, "Cameron."

They stood gazing at each other for a moment more, thinking regretfully how their relationship had degenerated into silence and distance, and he said, determined not to lose her… again, "We need to talk."

She nodded, replying quietly, "Yes, we do."

He asked, hope swirling with the hurt in his eyes, "Topside?"

"That will do nicely."

--------------------

They made their way to the surface of the mountain, and sat on a downed tree trunk, still relatively far apart as they took in the natural beauty around them, stumped for what to say. He said with a sigh as he looked across at her,

"I miss you, Vala, and I love you… and…"

She turned to face him and said, a stray tear running down her cheek, "I'm not worth your love, Cameron. I caused you pain… and… and heartache… and here you are still trying to make things work. I don't think I have it in me to make you happy, to…"

She rested her face in her hands, her elbows resting on her knees as she leaned forward, increasingly upset, and he said, still not bridging the gap between them, "Vala, a woman… a _person_ like you is worth the pain and the heartache. It wasn't your fault – it never was. You've just been through so much with Adria and Tomin…"

She shook her head, whispering, "You'd never understand, Cameron. I lost my daughter. She may have been the intergalactic version of your Hitler, but she was my little girl and she died so terribly. Her evilness aside, parents aren't supposed to outlive their children – it's wrong."

She turned to look at him, a lot of pain in her eyes, and he said, gazing at her sadly, "That's not fair. I hurt too when Adria died… I was ready to adopt her and we could have all lived together… awkward as that would have been, but…"

He sighed and continued, tenderly, "I love you for who you are, and I know you're in pain. I know you're still grieving but we're supposed to do it together… I miss you."

Tears running down her cheeks, she said as she buried her face in her hands, crying, "Cameron… I'm scared to love you. What if I lose you? I've lost so many… if I lost you, I could never take it."

He finally closed the gap between them and pulled her into his arms, whispering against her hair, his chest contracting, "Vala, we have dangerous jobs. It's always been that way, and hell, we made it work before."

"That's before… everything."

"Come on, you seriously cannot be telling me that you were not happy during our time together."

She sniffed, straightening up as she met his gaze, drying her tears, "I was happy, Cameron, I really was… but I don't deserve to feel like that again."

He stroked her cheek tenderly, replying as he gazed at her features, "Of course you do. You deserve some happiness for once… you've just got to stop being so scared of letting go and jumping in. We're gonna be fine, Vala, I promise you. We're supposed to help each other but I can't if you push me away."

She turned away, shaking her head and he said, gazing at her intensely, "Vala, you really are one in a million. I love you… and I want you to move back in with me again… please?"

She turned back to face him and asked, surprised, "You do? But what about…"

"Baby, you were hurt and I could have done a better job looking out for you. I'm sorry."

He held her hand and continued, "But I promise that I'll be a better boyfriend this time."

They gazed at each other, tears in her eyes as he stroked the side of her face and her hairline, and she said quietly, her voice heavy with tears, "I love you, Cameron."

He suddenly smiled and remarked fondly, "See, that wasn't too hard to say, was it?"

They smiled at each other and then after a moment's hesitation, their lips met tentatively. When they parted, she said, tears in her eyes as she smiled, "Yes, I accept your wonderful invitation."

He hugged her, laughing as he said, "Oh! We're going to have so much fun!"

She laughed too, remarking, "We did last time, Cameron so I have no doubt that we will this time."

They kissed again, the kiss lasting for much longer and ending with her on top of him as he lay back on the tree trunk, not caring about their surroundings or that they could be caught. They parted once again, this time grinning at each other, and she remarked, still on top of him as his hands worked their way under the back of her t-shirt to stroke her back,

"This certainly brings back the memories…"

He smiled up at her, retorting, "Sure does. Remember when we caused a commotion in the park?"

"Oh yes, Cameron. We nearly had sex then and there but were stared at by disagreeable little people who use one standard for themselves, and another for other people."

They kissed again and she helped him to sit back up, and asked, feeling ebullient for once, "Do you think that Samantha will accept the IOA's offer?"

He replied with a wistful expression, "I guess she will, and why not? She is well-suited for the posting..."

She asked, her eyes narrowing as she studied him, "Do you regret her being promoted above you? After all, you were commander for longer."

He shook his head and replied, "No, never. Sam's a good soldier and she needs a push every now and then so that she can show the world what she can do… she's very good at that. I'm going to miss her though. She's like a sister to me."

"Oh, I noticed. You're very close, and Daniel's like a brother to you, although that would make them siblings and, by Earth standards, that would be so wrong, considering that they're married _and_ have children."

He glared at her, remarking, "Vala…_metaphorical_ siblings. Anyway, we are pretty close… all of us. Biggest band of misfits in the mountain but we work well together."

She nodded and replied, "That's because we are different… We complement each other and we have endured a lot together. It's interesting though, I'll admit."

"What an understatement."


	9. Dates and Medicine

Meanwhile, Carolyn was perched on the shorter edge of her desk, trying hard to conceal her amusement as a nervous Jonas fumbled for words for a good five minutes.

"… what I'm trying to say, I guess, is, ah, will you go out to dinner with me? Uh, it doesn't have to be a… date if you don't want it to be. I'll understand."

He finally met her gaze, hoping that he hadn't just earned the biggest needle puncture in existence and was shocked to say the least when she smiled and remarked, amused, "I'm surprised it's taken you this long to ask! Sam told me that you've been planning this for months!"

He ducked his head, embarrassed, and then said as she stroked his upper arm, "Well, seeing as I'm not from Earth, I get nervous about these kinds of things… You see, I'm, ah, not exactly the most forward of guys…"

She murmured with a fond expression as her fingers reached the back of his neck, their gazes locked, "I could help you."

He grinned, replying, "I would like that very much, Carolyn… so… is that a 'yes'?"

Her smile widened and she replied, "Yes it is."

Their lips grew closer as she murmured, "We need to sort out the whens and wheres."

Just as their lips were about to touch, a knock on the door made them leap apart in surprise, and then feign professionalism. Shooting him an exasperated look, she remarked, "Ah, duty calls."

She called, quickly sitting in her seat as did he in a seat opposite hers, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Reynolds who looked suddenly nervous on seeing Jonas. He said, "Ah… I'll see you later, Doc… you're busy."

He closed the door and Carolyn grabbed a folder off her desk, calling the Colonel's name as she ran after him, telling Jonas to stay where he was. She found Reynolds a few metres away from her door and she led him over to a quiet part of the Infirmary, and said quietly, opening her folder,

"Colonel, the results came in this morning and… you're clear. The lump is benign."

He breathed a sigh of relief, replying in the same volume, "I… God, thank you Doc… Gretchen and I have been on tenterhooks for weeks. Thank you."

Carolyn smiled and remarked, feigning sternness, "But that doesn't give you a free licence to neglect yourself. I know you're Daniel's second-in-command as well as still head of SG-3, but you need to take care of yourself. Plenty of water, rest and healthy food."

"Aye, aye Doc."

She smiled and he, grinning, said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome… now get the hell out of my Infirmary unless you want some needles."

He backed away from her, hands raised in faux-horror as he remarked, feigning fear, "That's a pretty nasty threat… ok, threat taken. I'll skedaddle. See ya later, Doc."

She smiled at him, replying, "Ok, bye Colonel."

"Bye, Doc."

She watched him leave the Infirmary, shaking her head slightly before she remembered that a certain Kelownan was still in her office. She sprinted back to him, remarking as she resumed her seat, filing the folder away in her drawer, "Oh, it's tough being a Chief Medical Officer sometimes, but well worth it."

He smiled and said, his smile growing distant, "Janet used to say that."

She propped her chin up with her hand and said, "I would have really liked to have met Doctor Frasier. She's a legend here."

He nodded and replied, "She sure is."

"Some pretty big shoes to fill. It took me a long while to feel accepted here, but Doctor Brightman said that it was normal."

He asked, frowning momentarily, "Didn't you meet Janet during, ah, that time when twenty universes converged? I would have loved to have been there."

She smiled briefly, replying wistfully, "Alas, I didn't… I had to cover for Doctor MacKenzie at the military hospital after his heart attack, and then Doctor Brightman was having her baby _so_ Doctor Carmichael was unavailable…"

He remarked with a chuckle, "It sure is one big family around here, huh?"

"Well, I suppose it has to be considering the challenges we face on a day-to-day basis."

They gazed at each other, smiling slightly, and he asked after a pause, "What time do you finish tonight?"

"Seven… if no-one else comes in with bad injuries."

He reached over her desk to hold her hand and asked, "Milliways?"

She smiled, happily surprised, and replied, "Sure."

"Great! So… um, I'll see you then."

They stood up, suddenly giddy with excitement, and she met him at the door. They stood opposite each other, barely able to believe that they were moving forwards in their fledgling relationship, and he caressed her cheek. After a pause, they hugged as they had before their relationship officially progressed into romance, and she gently kissed his cheek, whispering,

"I'll meet you at the first checkpoint."

"It's a date!"


	10. Decisions and Meetings

A chipper Jonas strolled into the briefing room, his hands in his pockets, to see whether the meeting had finished in Daniel's office and if Sam was accepting the Atlantis offer. Catching sight of Woolsey through the window, he perched on the edge of the large table, his arms folded across his chest as he waited.

A few minutes later, the door opened and the Jacksons shook Woolsey's hand before the IOA representative left the office and briefing room with a brief acknowledging nod in Jonas' direction. Sam and Daniel exchanged a look, the Colonel pressing her lips together briefly as sadness momentarily swirled in his eyes, right before Jack came up from behind, putting his arms around them both, saying,

"Come on, enough with the sadness, you two… you'll be fine. Carter, you're gonna kick ass, pure and simple… and Dannyboy, I know you're pretty hot, but _no_."

Sam closed her eyes briefly and laughed as Daniel rolled his eyes and shot back, "Jaaack!"

"Hey, what I can I say? I'm flattered, but I don't swing that way – I have a girlfriend… Anywho…"

The three members of the original SG-1 line-up suddenly remembered that they had a one-man audience, and Sam said, "Hey Jonas… you certainly look happy."

Jonas replied, scratching the back of his neck, "Oh… I'll tell you why in a minute, but first… What happened?"

Sam and Daniel exchanged a glance as Jack held them tighter, and Sam replied, "I'm going this week… and Liz is coming home at the same time."

Daniel added, "As part of the deal with sending a US Air Force officer out, we have to send a civilian out there too just to keep Russia and China happy…As Sam doesn't know Ancient, I've nominated a linguist from your department. Doctor Keller."

Jonas nodded in acknowledgement, replying, "Jennifer's a good choice, and she's too good for a desk job."

Looking at the subdued faces of the Jacksons, and the relatively neutral face of the

Major-General, Jonas asked, confused, "Well… that's great… isn't it… you going out there to kick some Wraith butt. It isn't like any of us haven't been separated on crucial combat missions before now, you two especially."

Jack hugged both his friends and said, "I'll have to love ya and leave ya – gonna catch up with Landry and I think I saw Ferretti a little earlier."

Still with his arms around his friends, he hugged Daniel close and kissed Sam on her brow as they each hugged him back, and then he left with a little wave at Jonas. The Jacksons looked in the direction he had gone for a little moment, before Daniel replied, his arm around Sam's waist as she leaned into his embrace, his eyes showing his inner pain,

"Well, it's different… Sam's going thousands of light years away this time, _but_ I have faith in her. There's a good reason why she's going – her expertise in combat, science and leadership is sorely needed out there, and if anyone can make a difference out there, it's my wife and best friend."

Sam blushed and kissed him on the cheek before straightening up and asking Jonas, happy, "So… what happened?"

Looking momentarily confused, Jonas smiled again and replied, "Ah, well, you see, Carolyn agreed to go on a date with me."

Sam and Daniel exchanged a little glance, the former smiling more as the latter replied, surprised and happy, "Why, that's great news. Congratulations. Are you doing anything now?"

"Um, got a couple of reports to go through but they can wait."

"Good, we can have a little team time in the Commissary then. I've requisitioned a much better blend than the usual sludge they serve up so we could actually have coffee this time."

Sam and Jonas laughed as the three of them left the briefing room, walking down the corridor together towards the Commissary.

--------------------

Sam, Daniel and Jonas sat with Teal'c, Sam breaking the news to their Jaffa friend. Teal'c replied, smiling slightly at her,

"I have no doubt that you will succeed, Samantha. You are, as DanielJackson says, perfect for the role."

Sam reached over the table to squeeze his hand, replying, her eyes moist, "Thank you Teal'c…that means so much to me."

Jonas remarked with a grin, "Ah, Grandpa Teal'c's only after presents from the Pegasus galaxy… do they have their own version of Def Jam Vendetta out there?"

Sam laughed as Daniel retorted with a little shrug, Teal'c shooting the Kelownan a deathly glare, "I wouldn't put it past them… although someone would have to bribe Rodney very well to get him to misappropriate resources and time like that."

Sam lightly socked him in the arm, remarking, "Honey, lighten up – McKay works during his break periods. Hm, actually, we could write a Playstation style game to train new recruits… it's much safer than that damn chair."

Teal'c said with a raised eyebrow as he remembered his own experience in the Gamekeeper's chair, Daniel meeting his gaze briefly, "Indeed… that was most trying."

Sam and Daniel exchanged a little smile, and Jonas remarked, "No wonder Jack loves you… you're so cool."

"I will not remain so if you do not desist in referring to me as _Grandpa_."

Daniel raised his eyebrows briefly and said, "Teal'c, you are a Grandpa…"

"JonasQuinn is not my grandson."

Sam and Daniel smirked as Jonas looked a touch nervous at the Jaffa's mood, and Sam remarked fondly, patting Teal'c's hand, "Teal'c, you have really got to stop getting into fights with Ish'ta. You're never going to get anywhere if you insult her abilities…"

Daniel added as he squeezed her hand under the table, "… or assume that you're always right."

Teal'c remarked, "Ish'ta cannot assume that she is right all the time."

Jonas patted him on the shoulder consolingly as Daniel remarked, glancing at Sam, "If you want to get anywhere with her, Ish'ta is always right."

Sam raised an eyebrow at her husband, saying, "Oh? So how many times have you out-and-out lied then without me realising it?"

Daniel rolled his eyes as she smiled, both of them knowing how bad a liar he was, and Jonas asked, noticing Teal'c looked increasingly ticked off, "Hey, have any of you guys seen Cam and Vala? I haven't seen either of them for a couple of hours now."

The Jacksons looked confused, and Teal'c replied, "I sighted both ColonelMitchell and ValaMalDoran walking together en route to the surface. Perhaps they are repairing their relationship."

Jonas looked at his human friends, the two of them shrugging as they exchanged another glance, and Sam said with a little smile, "Well, if that's the case, that's great. They've been through so much hell recently… they deserve happiness for once."

Daniel said as she rested her hand on his thigh, "Yep, they made each other happy."

Teal'c added as Jonas nodded in agreement, "Indeed."

Just then Reynolds appeared in the doorway of the Commissary, his eyes scanning for someone. Sighting Daniel's back, he smiled briefly and walked towards SG-1's table. Teal'c, having seen the Colonel, said quietly,

"DanielJackson, ColonelReynolds is approaching this table and he appears determined."

Daniel nodded in thanks right before he felt a hand on his left shoulder. The Archaeologist looked up in that direction, greeting the Colonel, and Reynolds whispered in his ear,

"The results came back and they're all clear."

Daniel, smiling in relief, patted the hand that was on his shoulder, replying with a smile, "That's great news. Congratulations, Reynolds. Do you want to join us?"

"Nah, I'll pass… gotta get back and do stuff. I'll see you later, ok?"

"Sure, ok. Bye."

"Bye."

With a squeeze of the Archaeologist's shoulder, the Colonel left, and Daniel turned back to his now curious friends. Sam remarked, intrigued,

"So… what was that about?"

"Oh… remember I told you about that thing he was worried about? Well, he's fine now."

She smiled as Teal'c raised an eyebrow, and Jonas remarked, amused nonetheless, "I feel so left out. Me and Grandpa are still part of SG-1…"

His face then distorted in pain as Teal'c glared at him and Sam stood up, leaning over the table and covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled, sitting back down again. Daniel looked at her, curious, and she said in explanation, sending an apologetic smile to a pained Jonas,

"Jonas just found out why we don't consistently tease Teal'c."

Daniel, grimacing briefly, looked at Jonas and said, "Oh… you poor man."

They were soon joined by a happy looking Cam and Vala, and Daniel remarked, "You look happy."

Sam remarked, glancing around at her friends, "Well, it looks like a big news day… come on, spill."

Cam and Vala exchanged a glance, still smiling, the southern Colonel remarking, "Ah, damn, we can't hide anything from you, can we?"

"Nope, which is a very good thing considering my current job."

Vala said, beaming, "We're giving our relationship another attempt… and I'm going to move back into Cameron's place."

The rest of the team exchanged surprised looks, and Daniel said, smiling, "That's great news, you two. Finally. You two taking it slow?"

Cam and Vala gazed at each other, the former replying, "We sure are."

Cam then looked at Sam and asked, "How did the meeting go?"

Sam's smile faded as she replied, wistful, "I'm going this week. In a couple of days. Liz is coming back at the same time."

Cam and Vala looked a touch disturbed, and then Vala said, "That's very quick."

"That's the Air Force for you… and the fact that there's a war out there."

Cam replied, looking solemn, "You're going to do great, Sam. We're all rooting for you, and you've got nothing to worry about in this galaxy. The General and us have got the twins."

As Daniel squeezed her hand, she said with a teary smile as Teal'c reached over the table to hold her other hand, "Thanks."

Vala, feeling the need to lift the general mood of their gathering, said with a clap of her hands, "Ok! So, who else has news? Muscles?"

Teal'c replied, "Indeed, I do not. JonasQuinn has a news item of interest."

All gazes moved to a now nervous looking Jonas, and Vala remarked, "Well, go on then, don't keep us waiting!"

Jonas replied, looking down at his hands, "I've got a date tonight."

Cam remarked with a grin, "Now that's what I'm talkin' about!"

Daniel remarked as he touched Sam's knee, her hand over his, "Our boy's all grown up."


	11. Jennifer

_Okie dokey, while I was writing this story the last time, Booster-T (thanks again) pointed out that Jennifer Keller, a new character in season four of Atlantis, was in fact Carson's replacement as opposed to a linguist (I can't believe tptb missed out on that, or would it have been a bit too obvious? lol).Anyway, seeing as it's pretty much AU round this neck of the woods, I thought I'd make her a linguist (if you didn't read the original version, you'll eventually see why I don't need another medic… it's a big, big surprise…)_

_--------------------_

Sam and Daniel walked down a corridor near his old office, and the Archaeologist said, "Our side are seeing her as a token second-in-command to, uh, silence the other sides but you're going to need her."

She nodded, replying with a sigh, "Well, the Ancient would be helpful, and if she's good at negotiating… she's as good as there."

He smiled and said as they stopped outside of a door, "Oh, she's a quick learner. You'll like her."

He knocked on the door and a woman's voice called, muffled, "Come in!"

He opened the door and Sam closed the door behind them before laying eyes on a young, lively looking woman with medium-length light brown hair sat behind a desk, papers strewn across the wooden surface, a pencil tucked behind her ear.

"Doctor J! Hi."

"Hello, Jennifer… the negotiations were a success and the IOA have agreed to send you to Atlantis."

Sam smiled as Jennifer's eyes glazed over, and she asked, amazed, "Really?"

"Definitely. I'm not in the teasing business."

"Wow… sorry… it's just… the Lost City! I've read everything about it and I'd like to think I've been preparing for it my whole life."

Sam, already liking the young woman, liked her even more as she saw her younger self in the linguist, and Daniel, remembering the reason for his visit, said as he gestured to his wife,

"Colonel Jackson's going to be in command of the expedition, and you'll be going with her by the end of the week."

Jennifer stood up to shake Sam's hand, saying with a smile as Daniel looked happy at how well this meeting was going, "Colonel Jackson! Nice to meet you."

"Same here, Doctor Keller."

"Wow, um, yeah, I… call me Jennifer."

"Only if you call me Sam."


	12. Preparations

Sam and Daniel knelt in front of each other on their bed later that night, holding hands and looking increasingly sad at their impending separation. Tears ran down her cheeks as she said,

"I don't want to leave you and our babies."

He held her in his arms as he replied, kissing her hair, tears in his own eyes, "Sam, I won't let you feel guilty. Just think of it as a break."

She chuckled sardonically, remarking, "Some break – I'm going to be thousands of light years away in a war zone, away from you and away from our babies. I don't know why I even agreed."

She raised her eyes to meet his and asked, scared, "What if I never see you again?"

Closing his eyes as he was reminded of his own fears, he shook his head and said, "No, no… don't say that. I'm not going to lose you… I can't. You're going to do great. This is everything that you've been working for, and you deserve recognition for your abilities, Sam."

"Screw my abilities. I… God, I love you Daniel. I love you so much."

He gently kissed her, replying, his eyes showing so much pain, emotion and everything else that he felt, "I love you too, Samantha."

Sniffing, she rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, the two of them cherishing each other's presence and making memories for the tough times that lay ahead. She remarked quietly after a long pause,

"You know we're supposed to have this whole almost psychic thing going on? I leave your dinner in the oven every night and you never eat it."

He retorted, gazing down at his wife fondly, kissing her hair, "Surely, that's a sign of it working?"

She laughed, playfully hitting him, and then she said, her tears returning, "Oh, I'm going to miss you!"

"Me too, honey."

She closed her eyes as she held onto him and said suddenly, remembering a phone call earlier that day, "Cassie wants to come home. She's graduating in July and…"

Smiling against her hair, he whispered as he smoothed the long locks, "She can have her old room back or this one, and me and Jack could go in the spare… And I suppose if Liz has no-one to look after her, she can stay here too. We'll have to play musical rooms, but we'll work it out."

"At least you won't be alone… and I don't think Liz does have anyone else who's in on the programme. How will you manage though? She's…"

"We'll work it out and Jack will be here. One mixed up family."

They straightened up and she said, gazing down sadly at her fair hair resting on her shoulder, "I'm going to have to get this cut."

Caressing her jaw, he said with a shrug, "You could always tie it up."

"It would get in the way… and I only grew this out for you. It doesn't feel right without you."

They kissed and he said, "Samantha, you are going to be fine, ok? You really are. If it was anyone else going, I'd have my doubts, but it's you. You're a soldier, a scientist and a leader… you're a woman so you're not so high on testosterone that you make stupid command decisions…"

She laughed again and hugged him before saying, her face solemn, "You do realise that there's a chance that I won't come home again, don't you?"

He replied, nodding with overwhelming sadness in his eyes, "I know, Sam. I know… but there is an overwhelmingly good chance that you are going to kick butt."

Sighing, she reached behind her into the nightstand, pulling out an envelope, and then reached behind her neck to take her St Christopher and scarab pendant off, and her wedding and engagement rings as he looked on in horror. Closing her eyes briefly in a vain attempt to hold back her tears, she said,

"Daniel… I know the odds, and that's just going to leave you to take care of our babies."

His throat closing up, he shook his head, saying, "No… no, Sam. No."

"Daniel, please…"

She pushed the envelope forward, continuing, "In this are Mom and Dad's wedding rings. It's going to be up to you to tell our babies about them if… if I don't make it back. Well, ok, you and Mark."

Tears ran down his cheeks as he shook his head, caressing her face as he said, "I'm not going to lose you, Sam. I can't. It would kill me."

Her voice heavy with tears, she continued, trying hard not to sob as she held the St Christopher and scarab in her palm, "… and they're going to want to know about your Mom too, and me. You'll need these."

He shook his head and placed his hand over hers, closing it and pushing it back towards her as he said gently, "Sam, they're yours."

"Daniel… I…"

"No, they're yours. I gave them to you because I love you more than life itself and I want you to keep them."


	13. Hair Today

The next day, as the rest of SG-1 played with the twins downstairs, Sam stood upstairs in the bathroom in front of the mirror, a pair of scissors in her hand as she contemplated about what she had to do. Try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to do it and shut her eyes, her hand falling as she began to cry.

It was in this way that Daniel found her, and he shut the door behind him and pulled her into his arms. She said against his shoulder as he took the scissors from her, placing them on a nearby shelf,

"I can't do it, Daniel."

Smoothing the back of her head, he replied, kissing her hair, "You could always just leave it. You tie it up on missions with us."

"But it's different here. Out there, it's all go… here, we're getting a lot more peaceful."

She straightened up and he ran his fingers down the curve of her cheek as he said, "Do you want me to do it?"

Closing her eyes briefly, she handed him the scissors and he kissed her, whispering, "You are an incredibly beautiful woman, Samantha… inside and out, and you'll always be beautiful to me at least. Even if you were bald, I'd find you as irresistible as I do now."

She laughed, remarking, "You'd freak out if I was bald!"

"No, I wouldn't. I'm not shallow."

She gazed at him, touched, and then she kissed him, feeling much better about herself and his love for her, and he proceeded to cut her hair back to its previous regulation length, feeling sad as he thought of the reason why she was getting it cut.

After he had tidied it up, she turned around, tears in her eyes and then she buried her face in his chest, whispering, "I'm ugly."

He, putting the scissors down again, held her tightly, whispering back, "You sure as hell are not, and you never will be."

He planted soft kisses on her brow, her cheek and her jaw before moving to her lips. She clung onto him as she returned the kiss, gently pressing his back against the bathroom door. Still holding onto each other, they parted and she said,

"I really am going to miss you, Daniel."

He traced her lips with his fingers, replying, "I miss you already, Sam, but the Pegasus galaxy needs you."

He kissed her again and asked, "Do you feel up to going downstairs? Jack should be dropping in soon."

She nodded as she rested her head on his shoulder, replying, "I think I could manage that."

She kissed him on the cheek and they emerged from the bathroom just as none other than Jack reached the top step of the stairs, Cammie in his arms as James clambered after him. Sam, smiling, picked James up who looked at her hair curiously, saying,

"FUBAR."

Closing her eyes briefly, she said, "James, don't use that word."

He grinned up at her and Daniel said to Jack as Cammie stretched her arm in Sam's direction, "Jack."

"Daniel… you ok?"

"After a fashion."

Jack looked at Sam and said, "Carter, your hair looks nice. Just cut it?"

Sam replied, feeling self-conscious, "Thanks Sir… yeah, Daniel cut it."

"It's nice. I'd never have pegged our Space Monkey as a barber…"

"Jaaack!"

--------------------

Downstairs, Daniel and Jack stood in the kitchen, watching Sam in the grass outside, the twins in her lap as she spent some time with them, giving her a chance to say goodbye. As they watched her and the babies cry, Jack said,

"Y'know Daniel, she's gonna be fine."

Daniel replied, his throat dry, "I know. It's Sam, but I'm scared, Jack. What if I never see her again? It would kill me if I lost her."

Jack patted him on the shoulder and said quietly, "I know, Space Monkey."

Outside, Sam held the twins in her lap as she said, forcing her tears back as she smoothed their fair heads, "I've got to go away soon, but I'll be back. They need me somewhere."

The twins burst into tears, James whispering as he rested his head on her shoulder, "Don't go, Mommy."

She kissed his head and replied, tears running down her cheeks, "I have to, sweetie but I'll be back, ok?"

Cammie said breathlessly, clinging onto her mother, "Don't want you to go."

Sam held them tighter, whispering, "I don't want to leave you, but I have to."

James kissed Sam on the cheek and said, "Love you, Mommy."

Sam sniffed back more tears, saying as she dried their tears, "I'm going to miss you two so much. I love you and whatever happens, I'm always going to be with you. You two are going to turn out so well, and I hope I get to see it.

"I want you to behave yourself for Daddy and Uncle Jack, ok? Daddy's going to be upset, even if he doesn't show it, so you'll have to look after him. Can you do that?"

The twins each nodded, Cammie replying and making Sam smile, "Silly Daddy."


	14. Goodbyes, Hellos, and Goodbyes

Sam and Jennifer stood in the gateroom, dressed in BDUs, Woolsey, SG-1, Daniel, Jack, Reynolds, Carolyn, Landry and Hammond lined up with a few of Sam's and Jennifer's colleagues to bade the two women farewell. As Jennifer's colleagues said their farewells to the linguist, SG-1 did likewise to Sam.

When she reached Daniel, the Archaeologist's gaze fell momentarily in sadness at her going and she kissed him, not caring about her surroundings, their arms around each other. When they parted, she ruffled his hair and kissed him on the cheek, remarking affectionately,

"I'm going to miss you the most, Jackson."

Jack remarked, rolling his eyes, "Gee, Carter… I feel so left out now."

Sam rolled her eyes and retorted, "Sir… he's my husband."

She hugged Daniel again, whispering, "Kiss our babies for me."

He stroked her cheek and said as the 'gate activated behind her, "Of course I will. Good luck out there, Sam."

"Thank you… and good luck here."

He gently kissed her and then with a lingering glance, she went to salute her senior officers before saying to an eager Jennifer, "Are you ready, Jennifer?"

Jennifer nodded and replied, "Yes… although I'm not too sure about being demolecularised and…"

Earning a proud smile from Jack, Sam replied, "Oh, it's a piece of cake, trust me. Come on."

Sam turned to face her friends and said with a smile and a wave, "Bye, guys!"

They cheered, and waved back, Vala calling as most of everyone laughed, "Bring us back something nice!"

With a little smile, Sam fixed her hat on her head and said, looking at Jennifer, "To Oz?"

Smiling back at her, Jennifer replied, "To Oz…"

"Right, let's go."

They walked up the ramp together and stopped just in front of the active event horizon, turning to wave at their friends. Jennifer then whispered, looking at the fluctuations in the event horizon, "It's beautiful."

"Sure is. You should see Atlantis."

As Jennifer looked nervous, Sam took her hand, holding her gaze for a moment and the two women walked through the event horizon, their bodies demolecularised and the deconstructed molecules travelling beyond the speed of light via a Carter-McKay Bridge.

A half hour later, the two women emerged into the gateroom of the Lost City, Sheppard, Lorne, Teyla and Ronon waiting to greet them. Sheppard, Lorne, and the gate technician, Sergeant Muniz, saluted the Colonel as the linguist gazed around herself in amazement. After returning the salutes, Sam took her hat off and patted Sheppard's shoulder and smiled at the others. She said, gesturing to her side,

"This is…"

She turned around, realising that Jennifer had wandered off, gaping through the glass at the Lantaean exterior. Sam smiled in amusement as did the rest, and the Colonel called, pointing suggestively to the Atlantis gang, "Jennifer…"

Jennifer, her eyes widening briefly in realisation, looked embarrassed as she ran back to Sam, saying, "Sorry! This is just so… amazing."

Sam chuckled quietly on being reminded of Daniel, and she said, gesturing to each of the people stood in front of her, "Ok, these are… Lieutenant-Colonel Sheppard, Major Lorne, Teyla Emmagan, and Ronon Dex. Teyla's from Athos, and Ronon is from Sateda."

As Jennifer greeted each of them, shaking their hands, Sam said to them, "And this, guys, is Doctor Jennifer Keller – my civilian second-in-command."

When the greetings had finished, Sam asked, glancing around, "Where's Doctor Weir?"

Sheppard, his eyes briefly showing inordinate pain, replied, "Elizabeth's resting in her quarters. She's been pretty down at having to leave like this."

Just then, Elizabeth entered the gateroom followed by a belligerent looking McKay, and Sam introduced them to Jennifer and vice versa. McKay was characteristically silent as he kept on shooting Sheppard evil glares, and Sam pulled Elizabeth into a hug and whispered,

"Congratulations, Liz."

Elizabeth clung onto her, whispering back as she blinked back tears, "Thank you, Sam. I just wish that it was under happier circumstances."

Just as McKay opened his mouth to speak, a series of beeps sounded and Muniz called, pressing his earpiece into his ear as he glanced from Sheppard to Sam, "Colonels, the Daedalus is ready and waiting."

Everyone exchanged concerned glances, Sheppard slipping his arm around Elizabeth's waist in an unusual show of affection as he kissed her brow, her arms coming around him as she clung onto him, her eyes shut. McKay remarked as Radek showed up,

"Well, the Enterprise is here to send you back home… unfortunately, Captain Kirk isn't going instead."

As Sam, Jennifer and Lorne ducked their heads briefly to hide their smiles, Sheppard glared at the Canadian, fighting the urge to punch him and Teyla said, "I have seen your Captain Kirk and he does not resemble Colonel Sheppard."

Ronon added with a grumble as the humans turned to look at Teyla in surprise, "For one, our man doesn't overdo everything and act as though he's about to die."

Everyone chuckled briefly, and then Elizabeth's friends took turns bidding her their farewells, and hugging her. The group then walked to the Puddle Jumper bay, McKay's and Teyla's arms around her, no-one looking happy with the exception of Jennifer who was as high as a kite at finally being able to see Atlantis, barely aware of the drama happening around her.

When they reached the bay, Caldwell and one of his men waiting with barely suppressed impatience, Sam cleared the bay of everyone but Elizabeth and Sheppard, giving the two a chance for a proper goodbye, and she and Lorne guarded the entrance, almost like Buckingham Palace guards.

Sam had to wipe away a tear when she heard Sheppard profess his love for the former expedition leader. After they had hugged, Sam finally let Caldwell and his Lieutenant in, the latter opening the back door of the Jumper and politely conducting Elizabeth into the rear of the craft as Caldwell walked past her to the seat next to the pilot's. Everyone waved as the door closed, a distraught Elizabeth waving back as the Lieutenant, who had the Ancient gene, made his way to the pilot's seat to activate the craft.

When the engine had started, Sam called as a last mark of respect to the departing leader as she stood to attention, "Ten hut!"

Everyone stood to attention, the military personnel saluting as the craft set out from the Lost City en route to the Daedalus, the ship due to return to Earth. When the Jumper was out of sight, Sam turned to her new charges and said, looking sad,

"Ok people, let's get back to business."

Sheppard stood, looking at where the Jumper had been, his eyes empty, and Sam gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He blinked and looked at her, and she said quietly,

"Sheppard, go take a couple of hours off and get some rest."

He made to object when she said, "Nope, it's an order. You need it."

He nodded resignedly, walking away, the rest of the team dispersing although Lorne remained, his eyes transfixed on Jennifer, who was still acting like a child in a sweet shop. Sam, smiling briefly, said, startling the Major out of his reverie,

"Lorne, you're on duty just like everyone else."

Lorne nodded quickly and ran from the bay back to his post as Sam shook her head slightly in amusement. She watched Jennifer continue to gape at everything and the Colonel said,

"Right, come on Jennifer… let's go check our new offices out."

Jennifer turned in surprise from an Ancient plaque that she had been reading and asked, "I have an office?"

"Oh yes, second-in-command… come on… and we have to get changed. Don't want to walk around like we're on a mission."

Smiling, the two women linked arms and made their way to the locker-room to change, and Sam asked, "So… how are you finding it so far?"

Jennifer replied, trying hard to not gush, "Amazing! I… oh God, it's just… wow."

"Daniel gets speechless like that… it's funny especially seeing as he's the Milky Way's chattiest linguist."


	15. Intergalactic Phone Call

Earthside, Daniel dejectedly sank into his chair in his empty office, looking absolutely distraught as he thought of his wife so far away. He buried his face in his hands, his glasses on the desk as tears involuntarily surged forth. He gazed at the picture of the Carter-Jacksons, taken during happier times and he whispered as he traced Sam's happy features,

"We'll be alright, Sam. It's just going to be so damn hard being without you."

He sighed, knowing that he had work to do, and he dried his eyes before remembering that he had to pick Cassie up from the Airport. Rubbing his face with his hands, he put his glasses back on and emerged from his office, making his way to Reynolds', poking his head in as he held onto the door frame, asking,

"Reynolds, can you cover for me for a couple of hours? I've got to pick Cassie up from the Airport."

Reynolds smiled from behind his desk, replying, "Go on ahead, Jackson. I got it all covered. Tell the girl I said 'hi'. How're you doing, by the way?"

Daniel ran his fingers through his hair and replied with a shrug, "I'm fine."

"What a wide definition that word has… especially when you use it."

--------------------

Several hours later, after driving Cassie to the Carter-Jackson residence, and then driving a newly arrived Elizabeth back to the same place, Daniel, and Woolsey went to the control room as Walter dialled Atlantis. When the wormhole had connected, Walter pressed a few buttons and then Daniel smiled on hearing his wife's voice over the open radio channel,

"Well, hello there, Stargate Command."

Daniel replied, scratching his head briefly, "Hi Colonel. How's everything going?"

"Oh, just fine. Actually, I had to give Sheppard a rest, but all's well here. Jennifer's still on a buzz. How are things in the Milky Way?"

"Great. Liz came back a couple of hours ago, and she and Cassie are getting on well. It's going to work out back home."

"Good."

Woolsey cleared his throat impatiently, and Daniel said with a sigh, "Well, Richard's getting jealous so I guess I'll talk to you the next time we get a wormhole established. Bye Sam."

"Bye Daniel."

--------------------

Daniel returned home, hiding his pain inside as he tried to function. He found Jack sat in the lounge, the General noting his subdued demeanour and he asked, knowing not to broach the issue just yet,

"Daniel…?"

Daniel, knowing exactly what he was about to ask, said with a dismissive wave, "Go ahead – you don't have to ask."

Jack remarked as he picked up the phone to ring his ex-and-soon-to-be-or-otherwise-wife, "Well, it feels wrong to ratchet up your phone bill."

"Jack, you're family."

Jack looked stunned at the term of endearment as Daniel continued walking through to the kitchen, where Elizabeth sat sipping a glass of orange juice, Cassie seated across the table from her, the two women talking. Daniel greeted them before leaving to go upstairs to shower and change.

Upstairs, he watched his children sleep, kissing their heads and whispered as he smoothed their brows, "We're going to get through this without Mommy, aren't we? You two are so much stronger than I am… you're going to have to remind me how to be strong because I really don't have a clue now."

Brushing away a tear, he left to shower, and then returned downstairs, dressed in a t-shirt and pyjama bottoms, to find Cassie and Elizabeth discussing the term 'evil', much to his amusement. As he went about cooking by instinct, a skill he learnt long ago to use when he was too upset to focus, he listened with a little smile as Cassie said,

"But wait, someone can admit to being evil!"

Elizabeth calmly replied, an eyebrow going up briefly, "I have a problem with those apocalyptic TV shows with battles against good and evil. Admitting that you are evil is an admittance that you are not good, and the term 'good' simply means doing the right thing, but as Daniel will happily point out to you, the 'right' thing depends on whichever culture you happen to be in. Therefore, someone can be evil but they can't admit to being evil – it doesn't make sense."

Cassie stared at her in surprise, and Daniel added, "Terms like 'good', 'right' and 'evil' are subjective, as Liz quite rightly says, to the culture you happen to be in. For example, we wouldn't eat fish heads, but in places like India and Bangladesh, it's a delicacy."

The two women smiled, and then Cassie looked at Daniel in shock, remarking, "Daniel, where the hell did you learn to cook like that?!"

Elizabeth turned to see him not concentrating on what he was doing, and Daniel replied with a shrug, "I used to sleep-cook at college – my roommate thought it was as funny as hell. Want some? I think it's pasta."

Cassie shook her head and when he looked at Elizabeth, the former expedition leader said, holding her glass up, "No thanks, Daniel... sleep-cooking?"

"Oh… that's a long story."


	16. Pillow Talk

Daniel lay in bed in the spare room, his bed parallel to Jack's, Cassie and Elizabeth in the Master bedroom, and the Archaeologist, smiling, turned on his side and said, looking at his friend, "So… how did Sara go?"

Jack looked at him in disbelief and remarked, "Dannyboy, you have a love life – one _hell_ of a love life – you don't have to live through me any more."

Daniel rolled his eyes and retorted, "Jaaack… if I'd lived through you before, I'd either be dead from boredom, or have Cirrhosis of the liver by now."

"That didn't sound nice. Really, I'm disappointed, Space Monkey."

The two men lay on their backs, their arms folded across their chests as they fumed, and nothing was said for a bit. After a while, Jack turned briefly to look at his best friend, saying,

"It was nice."

"Yah, thought it would have been, judging by the fact that you were happy without the aid of alcohol for once."

"Oh come on, play nice – I'm happy plenty without alcohol thank you very much. And anyway, if you were any sort of a friend, you'd know that beer mellows me out… it doesn't make me go all philosophical and giggly like a certain Archaeologist with an attitude problem."

Daniel glared at him, saying, "Hey! I don't giggle… and I do not have an attitude problem."

"Puh-lease! Of course you do. You have a problem with authority too… although how come you don't call Hank by his first name?"

Daniel stared at him in disbelief and remarked, "He's always going to be General Landry because he's… well, he's our Commanding Officer, and I don't know him that well."

"You give him a damn sight more respect than you ever did me."

"That's because you're an ass, Jack. Plain and simple."

After a pause, Jack remarked with a slow raise of his eyebrows, "Barely living together a day and we're like an old married couple already. Gee, Daniel, you sure know how to treat a girl."

"I aim to please."

They chuckled, and Jack asked, glancing at him, "Miss Carter?"

Daniel replied, humour gone from his face, his eyes in pain once again, "What a question to ask. Of course I miss Sam."

He closed his eyes and lay on his back once again, continuing, "I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know whether she's even going to come back… God, I just wish that… I don't know!"

Jack said with a quiet sigh as he looked at his best friend, worried, "Daniel, come on, this is Carter we're talking about, and she is going to kick ass, butt, keister, tush… you name it, she'll kick it. How many times has she overcome overwhelming odds before? Nirrti… The Prometheus… the Alpha site… hell, even Simarka."

Daniel smiled slightly, remarking, "Jack, we've got to know over the years how tough Sam is… we didn't really know her that well back then so it doesn't count. I think she'd kill you if she found out that you'd taken the safety off your P-90 though."

Jack, surprised, asked, "You knew?"

"Duh, I may have been a bit slow back then, but I saw you turn the switch."

Noticing Jack's eyebrow, Daniel rolled his eyes and said, "And no, I won't tell Sam. We don't have many secrets but I'll keep that away from her for your own welfare although I suppose she would have expected it."

The two men settled down and Jack said with a little smile, glancing at Daniel, "I still can't believe she dotted Baal though. I thought T was joking."

Daniel replied with a wistful expression as he remembered being turned into a Prior in an attempt to thwart Adria's plans, "You should have seen her give the Red Knight what for. Mitchell was all set to do it but Sam insisted."

"I'm proud of her… I would have done the same."

"I know… and she whupped him."

Daniel looked at his friend for a moment and then said, bemused, "Weren't we talking about you and Sara?"

Jack shrugged and retorted, "Well, you started giving me sass."

"Hey, you started it!"

Jack rolled his eyes and said, "Fine, seeing as we're both maintaining long-distance relationships… yeah, we're still discussing logistics. She doesn't really want to move out of Chicago, but I don't want to move away from you guys and the mountain."

"Jack, you usually live in D.C."

"Yeah, but if I move back to ol' Windy, I won't see you guys as much or hear from you… and besides, there's my job. Do I have it in me to retire?"

"Why don't you guys move to Minnesota? We'll be fine, and I'll ring you every day."

Jack chuckled briefly and said, "The missus doesn't want to leave Mike… the old guy's been ill these past couple of years and she wants to be close to him. I guess I could move back to our house, but I can't… I don't think I can do it. There's too many memories there… y'know."

Daniel replied softly, "Jack, it's been thirteen years… and besides, don't you think that Sara's hurting too? Charlie's her son just as much as he's yours."

"But I failed her, and I failed Charlie. Sara wasn't the one who kept a Beretta in the house."

"Jack, you need to let it go… it was an accident."

"I shouldn't have had it in the house. Take Carter for example, she doesn't keep any weapons in the house… ok, she had that zat once, but that was it. You two are good parents."

"You're a way better father than I am... You just had your chance robbed from you."

They looked at the ceiling, musing over times past, and what had been said, and Jack said with a little sigh, "It has been a long time, hasn't it? I don't just mean Charlie, but doing this whole 'gate thing too."

Daniel replied, "Yeah, twelve years of SG-1."

"And my Space Monkey is the head of the base. Who'd've thunk it?"

"I never would have thought I'd be here like this in my wildest dreams."

"_Well_, your wildest dreams involve that wife of yours."

"Jaaack!"


	17. Sleepless

_Ok, I hear that Shep's ex-wife is going to turn up in season four, so I made up a little thing about why they split up, which is most likely going to be light years away from the canon._

--------------------

Atlantis-side, Sam lay awake in bed, unable to sleep as she stared at the ceiling, unused to sleeping alone after so long of sharing a bed with Daniel, and missing him all the same. Switching her bedside lamp on, she pulled out a pile of photos from her nightstand and looked through them. She smiled as she came across a picture of Jack fishing, and then her smile grew emotional on seeing a picture of her, Daniel, Cam, Vala and Teal'c with the twins, Daniel's arm around her, everyone laughing at one of Teal'c's jokes.

Tears pricked her eyes on seeing the next picture, taken on hers and Daniel's wedding day. It was a close-up of the two of them gazing at each other, her arms around his neck, the two of them grinning and about to kiss. Tears silently running down her cheeks, she traced Daniel's happy features with her finger, knowing how sad he must be now, and she kissed the image, whispering,

"I'm coming home, Daniel. I'll find someway to come back to you."

She continued looking through the pictures and smiled, tears still running down her cheeks, as she saw the twins in Daniel's lap, the three Jacksons grinning happily in an armchair at the Carter-Jackson house. She touched the pictures of her babies, whispering,

"I miss you."

She pulled the scarab from under her t-shirt and kissed it as her tears continued to flow. The pictures that she had just seen, she placed next to her, the others on the nightstand, and she gazed at them as she slowly succumbed to Hypnos.

--------------------

Meanwhile, a few rooms away, Sheppard stood at his balcony, gazing out across the water and feeling empty without Elizabeth. He cursed himself for not having the foresight to carry protection on him prior to the amorous conclusion of their second secret date, but then he reasoned that she would have had to leave at some point what with the situation with the Wraith heating up.

Still, he blamed himself for once again somehow managing to drive away the woman he loved, and then he remembered his ex-wife. She had miscarried several times, a source of pain for both of them as they had wanted to have children, but he did his best to support her. He had missed the warning signs until it was too late, and she had moved half the country away, and shortly afterwards, divorce papers had come in the post.

It had taken him years to realise what he had done wrong, and when he had, it was too late as he was on Atlantis, thousands of light years away from her to have any hope of fixing things.

He quickly brushed away a tear that had fallen, and his thoughts turned to Elizabeth. What if she gave up on him because he wasn't there for her, for their baby? She wouldn't let him resign, despite wanting to for hers and the baby's sake, but he now kicked himself for not being where he should be right now – at her side.


	18. One Hell of a Discovery

_The Balinsky-massacring-Jaffa thing is a reference to a scene in Jackson Junior where a pregnant Daniel tells a funny mission story to cheer up Cassie at a team takeout fest._

--------------------

Over in the Atlantis control room, the premier team was ready for one of their many missions in the Pegasus galaxy, the 'gate active behind them. The team consisted of Sheppard, McKay, Ronon and Teyla, and Sam addressed them, Jennifer standing next to her,

"Right team, we're expecting you to call back in three hours, ok?"

Sheppard nodded, a hint of sadness in his eyes, and Sam gazed at him for a moment and said, "You can sit this one out Shep… I can send Lorne instead."

McKay remarked, "We need a Captain Kirk to liven things up."

Sheppard sighed but said nothing, his anger growing, and Sam closed her eyes briefly and retorted, "McKay, you might not want to be punched by your commanding officer."

McKay attempted a sneer but the proposed effect of fearlessness was lost as he quickly looked at Sheppard to make sure that he wasn't actually going to hit him. Sheppard clenched and unclenched his jaw before replying to Sam,

"I'll be fine, Colonel. I need to get out in the field again."

"Slightest problem, you come straight back, ok?"

Sheppard nodded, and Teyla said, "I will ensure Colonel Sheppard's welfare should his judgement be impaired."

Embarrassed, Sheppard rolled his eyes and said, sounding impatient, "Thank you, Teyla!"

Ronon replied, "It's only fair."

Sheppard glanced at the large warrior before Sam clapped her hands and said, diffusing a potential aggressive situation, "Ok, move out. Good luck."

Sheppard smiled slightly and snapped a cocky salute before looking round at his team, including a still apprehensive McKay, before leading them through the active event horizon. Sam and Jennifer looked at the 'gate for a moment, the younger woman saying after a beat,

"I wish I could go."

Sam turned to her and replied as they walked up the stairs to their offices, "Jennifer, I told you – you can't go through the 'gate without basic combat and firearms training. I know you went on the infamous Balinsky-massacring-Jaffa mission, but that was on a safe planet."

As the younger woman looked put out, Sam clapped her on the shoulder and remarked, "Look, I'll have a word with Teyla later on and see what I can do. She's a very agile fighter and she spars with Shep and Ronon quite a bit. As for firearms, I'll talk to Major Adams for you."

Jennifer smiled and thanked her, bounding off to her office as Sam stood watching where she had gone for a moment, shaking her head slightly in bemusement before proceeding to wander around areas of the city that she hadn't visited much.

--------------------

Over three hours later, Sam, after talking to Major Adams for Jennifer, switched her headset on and called the control room, "Muniz, has there been anything from the team yet?"

The reply came, "No, Ma'am. They could have been held up."

"Acknowledged… I'll be there in a minute."

She rushed back to the control room and said, "Send a message to them."

Sergeant Muniz replied, "Dialling the 'gate now…"

Muniz initiated the dialling sequence before transmitting a radio message through the active event horizon. The minutes dragged on as they waited for a reply, before Sam said to another control room technician,

"Get Major Lorne."

The technician called into a microphone, "Major Lorne, report to the control room."

Jennifer, who had come to see what all the fuss was about, asked, "Sam?"

"You're going to have to hold down the fort."

Jennifer's eyes widened briefly in surprise and trepidation as she realised what Sam meant, and Lorne rushed into the control room, standing to attention before Sam. Sam said to him,

"At ease."

Lorne relaxed and Sam continued, "Get your men ready… Colonel Sheppard's team is late for their check-in. Estimated time of deployment is one hour."

"Yes Ma'am."

Lorne rushed out of the control room to mobilise his team, and Jennifer asked, still shocked, "You're going?"

Sam replied, "Not if they radio in before the hour's up."

She paused and continued, a hand on the younger woman's shoulder, "It's ok… you won't have to do much except answer calls from Earth… and… just don't worry. I don't intend for you to be just a token second-in-command."

Jennifer flashed her a grateful smile before they proceeded to wait for a radio message.

--------------------

More than an hour came back but with no incoming 'gate activation, except for a delegation of Athosians coming for trade talks, Sam ordered a UAV, which was prepped and then sent through the 'gate. The UAV malfunctioned and stopped transmitting due to electromagnetic interference, but the pictures that it returned prior to the malfunction showed the team's weapons in a pile near the 'gate, which suggested that the team, if alive, were being held not far from the 'gate itself, or were abducted straight from their initial positions.

Sam, now in combat gear, was standing with Lorne and his men, saying,

"Ok men, we go in and pull them out. If any of you get captured, switch your radios off otherwise you'll endanger the rest of us... Don't worry, I won't leave without any of you. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads and she said, the 'gate active by now as she put her hat on, "Move out, men."

The team arrived on the planet, all but one careful to avoid the area where the pile of weapons was. Lieutenant Holmes knelt down to gather the weapons when he disappeared in a flash of white light. Sam and Lorne shouted the man's name, looking for him in the immediate vicinity but to no avail. Lorne asked,

"Colonel, you think that's what happened to Colonel Sheppard's team?"

"Looks like it… It looks like Asgard beam technology too… which the Wraith haven't got their mitts on yet."

She turned to the rest of the team and called, "Ok, McAndrews, Salford, Llewellyn and Sanchez, form a perimeter around the 'gate. Slightest bit of trouble and radio me. Lorne, Nijinsky, you're with me."

The four assigned 'gate duty nodded before mobilising themselves in their task, and Sam, brandishing a handheld sensor, said, pointing in front of her, "Readings suggest a large electromagnetic field three clicks that way… move out."

--------------------

Sam, Lorne and Nijinsky almost stumbled across a large building that appeared to have been carved out of a huge termite mound in the middle of a forest. Sam glanced at her sensor and said, "Looks like this is it."

Brandishing their firearms, with Nijinsky taking point, Sam and Lorne slowly and cautiously walked through what passed for a front door, waving their P-90s about. The three Air Force personnel walked towards a door locked with a padlock, the bar of a bluish white energy. Sam, finding this very familiar, looked around for an Asgard inscription but found none.

Flexing her hand, and as Lorne looked on in muted horror, Nijinsky looking around the chamber behind them, she touched the bar and the door opened. Lorne made a noise of disbelief, and Sam said with a smile,

"It's a lock the Asgard used for their libraries or laboratories… we came across one before we went to Ortus Mallum."

"Oh…"

Mentally shaking himself, he aimed his P-90 into the room as he, Sam and Nijinsky cautiously entered the said room. Sam called,

"Hello? Holmes? Sheppard? Teyla? Ronon?... McKay?!"

Getting no reply, Sam turned to Nijinsky and said, "Guard the door… we might be locked in and there might not be a way to get a message back."

Nijinsky nodded and stepped out of the room, his eyes everywhere as Sam and Lorne continued through a metallic, sterile room. Sam glanced at Lorne who said,

"Never seen anything like it. It's not of any known Wraith or Asuran design."

"Right."

They walked around a corner and were puzzled on hearing someone – a woman – hum 'I Hear the Pipes are Calling'. Sam glanced at Lorne, who said, puzzled,

"Yes Ma'am… I can hear it too."

She nodded and called, "Hello?"

They were greeted by the sight of a very familiar looking woman with long dark hair, who said, surprised and in a Scottish accent, "Colonel Carter, Major Lorne? What's going on?"

Sam and Lorne gaped in surprise for a moment before the former said, "Excuse me? Do we know you?"

The woman said, resigned, glancing down at her feet, "Aye, I'm different now."

She looked up and continued, "You know that the Asgard, before disappearing, were interested in developing the perfect clone? Well, I'm it."

Lorne blinked in surprise as he slowly realised who the woman was, and Sam, who eventually came to the same conclusion, replied, gradually shocked, "Ok… you're a clone… oh my God…"

She turned to look at Lorne who said, equally shocked, "Oh boy, Colonel… it's Doctor Beckett."

The woman replied, "Aye, Doctor Carson Beckett at your service. I might want to change my name though… oh the shame."

Lorne froze and Sam said, waving briefly, "Wait… wait one cotton pickin' minute… Carson?"

"I'm an Asgard clone. Hermiod cloned me after I… I died after Doctor Watson's tumour exploded. Next thing I know, I wake up here with some rather startling differences."

Sam exclaimed, still disbelieving, "So… Carson?!"

"Aye… come on, Colonel, General O'Neill was cloned by Loki."

"Yeah, but still… mini-Jack's a _man_."

"I'm an experiment! I'm still waiting for those wee sods to come back. Hermiod just left me here and I've been waiting for nearly two years now."

Sam and Lorne exchanged a glance, the latter asking, "Uh, you don't know?"

Carson looked from Sam to Lorne and replied, asking cautiously, "No… what don't I know?"

Sam sighed and said, "The Asgard are gone. It was a mass suicide. They had an incurable disease because of their cloning policy."

Carson braced himself on a nearby metal worktop, saying, shocked, "Dear God, they're all _gone_?"

Sam and Lorne nodded, and Carson continued, "Hermiod just went and never came back… oh my."

Sam stepped forward and tentatively hugged the much changed Carson Beckett, who mentally shook herself and asked, "Colonel Carter, what are you doing here though?"

Sam replied, "I'm Colonel Jackson now… and… never mind. We're taking you home and you'll be briefed."

Surprised, Carson asked, "You married Doctor Jackson?"

"Yep… come on… we're looking for Shep and the gang. They managed to get themselves captured."

Carson suddenly smiled and said, "Oh, follow me. It's an Asgard defence system. Everyone who steps in a certain place get beamed into the holding cells. I've freed many a Genii traveller from them. I'm surprised that you guys didn't get caught out by anything else the Asgard might have installed. Beats Thor's Hammer."

"You're telling me."

--------------------

Carson led Sam and Lorne to a force field protected alcove, where Sheppard was idly throwing things at the field, looking increasingly bored and irritated. He straightened up on seeing their rescuers, McKay remarking, interrupting his own panic-stricken rant,

"Finally! A man could go into hypoglycaemic shock before the cavalry arrives!"

Sam rolled her eyes as Carson fiddled with the controls. The force field down, Sheppard glanced uneasily at Carson, noticing something very familiar about her, and he asked,

"Colonel, who is this?"

McKay was silent for once as he too noticed something very odd. Teyla, Ronon and Holmes peered at the woman as Sam said, smiling slightly and still shocked,

"This, folks, is Carson Beckett."

Everyone else fell into a dumbfounded silence as they stared at a self conscious Carson, before McKay, getting rather emotional, hugged his friend and said, "You're… you're different."

Sheppard remarked with a smirk, "Different?!"

McKay, holding Carson's upper arms, said, "Well, different… he's… she's… different."

He turned to Sam and asked, shocked, "Sam? What...?"

Sam replied, "Asgard clone."

She reached into a pocket of her vest and handed a still floundering McKay something with sugar in it as well as his spare insulin, before saying after performing a quick visual check of the assembled personnel, "Ok folks, move out. We'll catch up back home."

With Ronon and Teyla bringing up the rear, a still stunned McKay walking with Carson, and Sheppard, Holmes and Lorne cautiously aiming their P-90s at their surroundings, Sam, her P-90 raised also, led the team out of the lab, meeting up with Nijinsky and then walking back to the 'gate.

As Sheppard informed Sam of what had happened, Carson asked McKay, "Rodney, how come Colonel Car… uh, Jackson's here?"

McKay smirked briefly before replying, "She's the leader of Atlantis now. Elizabeth's pregnant with Captain Kirk's baby so she's back on Earth, and the Wraith situation is heating up, so the United States Air Force decided to send their 'best and brightest' to boss us about."

Surprised at the news, Carson remarked with a smug smile, "Ah, you're just jealous because she's a damn sight cleverer than you."

McKay paused before replying, "Yeah... you got me."

"Hey, I may be a woman now, but I can always get you… Are you still seeing Katie?"

McKay made a face before he said, "No… it's weird. I mean, I had that delightful Lieutenant Cadman inside of me… I just don't feel right around her."

"Ah, you'll be fine… she's a nice woman."

"Easy for you to say with those… _appendages_."

Carson said defensively, folding her arms across her chest, "Hey! Stop eyeing me up!"

Sheppard, briefly interrupting his conversation with a bemused Sam, called over his shoulder, "Call him Meredith – it never fails to get him riled up."

With a parting smirk directed at a floundering McKay, Sheppard went back to talking to Sam, and Carson asked, an eyebrow raised as she feigned disbelief, "_Meredith_?!"

McKay replied, "Yes, Meredith, but I go by Rodney… thank you very much."

"Your name is Meredith?!"

"Can we get back to how you're here, please?!"

Carson nodded before exclaiming, "_Meredith_?!!"


	19. Another Phone Call, and a Briefing

As Daniel returned to his office from a briefing with SG-3, the unscheduled wormhole activation siren blared, and he grimaced, wishing that he hadn't forgone his aspirin as he put a hand to his head. He then ran out of his office, out of the briefing room and down to the control room.

On entering the control room, he asked Walter, "Walter, is it SG-1?"

Walter, surprised, looked up at him and replied, "No Sir. It's Atlantis."

Hoping that it wasn't going to be bad news, Daniel asked, "People or…?"

"Just a data pulse Sir… and they're opening a radio channel."

His hand resting on the back of the Sergeant's chair, Daniel replied hastily, "Ok, patch it through."

A few button presses later as Walter downloaded the data pulse, Sam's voice could be heard, "Daniel?"

Daniel, hugging himself, replied, "Hey Sam. What's going on?"

During the pause that ensued, Walter whispered, "There's a delay of a few seconds."

Daniel nodded, and then Sam said, "You are never going to believe what happened. McKay's sent off the mission reports and photos in the pulse which you should have received by now… we found Carson."

Daniel and Walter exchanged a puzzled look, the Sergeant from his seated position, and the Archaeologist asked, "Excuse me? Carson as in Carson Beckett?"

A shorter pause later, Sam replied, "The one and the same… well, not exactly. You really are going to have to see him… her for yourself."

"Her?"

"Oh yes. It turns out that Hermiod did a Loki but it came out wrong. We only found her because Lorne and I led a rescue mission to spring Shep and his team from an Asgard security system. He… she remembers everything, including up to his death."

Daniel let out a long breath and Sam continued, "We're going to have to send him, her… whatever with McKay to Earth for testing by the Tok'ra to see if she's safe but Doctor Brightman thinks she's fine."

"Ok… um, are you alright? How is everyone?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. We're all more than a bit spooked… and Jennifer's still bouncing around. She's so chipper."

He chuckled briefly, remarking, "She's been obsessed with Atlantis even before she knew it really existed."

"Sounds like someone else I know… Ok, I better leave you – we could get into trouble."

He smiled fondly and said, "Ok, call soon though."

"Will do… how are the twins?"

"Oh, they're great… Jack's been brilliant and insists on taking care of everything. Elizabeth's upset about everything but she's really bonded with Cassie."

"God, I wish I was there."

--------------------

Daniel, a folder under his arm, came home a little earlier than planned, still buzzing from what he had learnt that day. After watching the twins for a while, and showering and changing, he came downstairs and gathered his friends, who had just arrived, around the kitchen table with Jack and Elizabeth, Cassie having gone out with friends. Every one of them looked bemused as he joined them, Jack remarking,

"Dannyboy, I know you have a problem with work and home being the same thing, but don't ya thinking you're taking this a little far?"

Elizabeth, noticing the folder and Daniel's determined expression, said, "It must be important."

Daniel nodded and said, opening the folder and passing the contents around, "Sam and Major Lorne came across an Asgard laboratory when they were pulling Sheppard's team out of a Cell. They found an Asgard clone of Doctor Beckett created by Hermiod shortly after the real guy died."

As Elizabeth paled in shock, everyone else looking confused, Teal'c piped up, "Unless I am mistaken, the person in these images, is that of a woman, whilst DoctorBeckett was a man."

Daniel replied as he looked at Elizabeth, worried, "Hermiod's experiment went wrong. He… she's been stuck on that planet for two years… and she's got the memories of Doctor Beckett right up until he died. He… she didn't even know that the Asgard had died, so it appears that it's a failed experiment."

He placed a hand over Elizabeth's trembling one, about to ask if she was alright. She nodded, whispering, "I can't believe he survived somehow."

Jack remarked with a slow raise of his eyebrows as he held up a photo, "You know, he looks pretty hot as a woman."

Everyone turned to look at him and he said, "What? He… she is."

Daniel rolled his eyes and Cam asked, "What if there are more clones out there?"

Vala added as Cam held her hand, "Like one of Adria…"

Daniel sighed and said, "We can't be too sure… in all likelihood, there must be many more of these… _experiments_ abandoned across two, maybe three galaxies. I guess, we'll never know."

He looked at Elizabeth again, who was now crying quietly and he edged his chair closer to hers and pulled her into a hug as she wept into his shoulder. He gently rubbed her back, and Jonas asked, "How are they going to be sure that this Doctor Beckett is the real deal?... or _a_ real deal?"

Daniel replied, gently releasing the former Atlantis expedition leader as she dried her eyes, "Sam's sending her to Earth with Rodney when he comes to get his sister for another experiment in a couple of months… We could contact the Tok'ra to do the tests seeing as they did it the last time with mini-Jack."

Noticing the dark rings under Daniel's eyes, Jack asked, "Hey, why don't you get some sleep – you look as though you need it."

Daniel shook his head and replied quietly, his eyes closed, "I have trouble sleeping now."

His friends looked at him, worried, and Cam remarked, "You are gonna be no use to any of us, not least Sam if you're dead on your feet."

Jonas added with a little smile, "You could get some pills from Carolyn."


	20. Sleepless in Atlantis

_Spoilers for Sunday, and a wee one for 38 Minutes in this chapter._

_--------------------_

Atlantis-side, Sam lay awake in her quarters, darkness outside, as she found it increasingly hard to sleep. Her sleeping pattern had been changed greatly by the move to Atlantis, and not necessarily for the better. It had taken some getting used to, sleeping by herself once again having spent every night, apart from her previous stint in Atlantis, with Daniel since they had made that large step on the road to healing themselves following their horrific torture experience nearly three years previously.

She clutched the sheets around her, the bedside lamp still on as she gazed at the framed photo of her and Daniel on their wedding day that sat on her nightstand, right next to the pictures of the twins, her friends and her parents. She had brought so many pictures to Atlantis, many of which took pride of place on her desk in her new office, and acted as her lifeline to the Milky Way.

She sighed as she remembered Daniel's kisses, feather-soft along her jaw and down her throat, his full lips blessing every inch of her skin. Her thoughts soon turned to the way he would discuss work with her as they lay naked and spent, a rather unusual setting for discussions of such. That was one of the many things that she had liked about him, that she could talk to him about anything, at any time, and he never got lost. She shuddered to think of how the alternate Sam that they had encountered on Ortus Mallum managed on a daily basis with Jack O'Neill of all people.

Groaning in frustration at not being able to sleep, she got up and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and trainers, preparing to go for a run. She reached up to tie her hair but threw her hands down angry as she closed her eyes, remembering, once again, that her hair wasn't long any more.

With a sigh, she switched the light off before leaving her quarters, hoping that she would be able to sleep later on.

--------------------

At the security desk, the guard detail all stood to attention as she approached them, and she said, still not used to being a full Colonel, "At ease, Airmen."

They relaxed somewhat, and she said with a smile, "I'm just going out for a run."

A Lieutenant replied, "Ok Ma'am."

A Sergeant added, "Doctor Keller's with Doctor McKay in one of the disused Ancient labs, Colonel Sheppard's perfecting his backswing, and Major Lorne's out painting."

"Ok, thanks for that… see you later."

"Enjoy your run, Colonel."

"Thanks."

Smiling, she left the base and ran along the waterside, taking in the night air. A little further on, she noticed a light in front of her. She slowed to a walk and cautiously approached to see none other than Lorne painting, a flashlight attached to the side of his canvas. She stopped next to him and he glanced up, saying before returning his attention back to his work,

"Colonel."

"Major. That's… wow, that's good."

"Thanks Ma'am… my Mom's an Art teacher."

She nodded and replied, "I know – you mentioned it when you were at the SGC. Never thought you'd find the time."

"I couldn't sleep, and the last time I painted was right before Doctor Beckett left us…"

She said softly, understanding, "Oh."

She placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it briefly in support before saying, "I'll leave you to it…"

"Thank you Colonel – enjoy the rest of your run."

"Thanks… goodnight."

"'night."

Looking at him for a moment, concerned, she clapped him on the shoulder before resuming her run. A little further, after getting startled by airborne golf balls originating from a higher balcony, she sighted a light at the end of the pier. Frowning slightly, she mentally counted the names and locations that the Sergeant at the security desk had mentioned, before cautiously walking down the pier, towards the light.

As she got closer to the figure seated at the edge of the pier, she could hear a female voice humming. She smiled slightly on realising who it was, and she sat down next to the woman, their legs dangling off the edge,

"Hi Doctor Beckett."

Carson sighed, replying, "Colonel, I'm not him… It wasn't me who earned all those degrees… It wasn't me who served here for nearly three years…"

Her voice broke as she said, "It wasn't me who Rodney was friends with."

Instantly concerned, Sam put an arm around her, holding her close as she said, "Hey… hey, no, you are Carson Beckett."

"No, I'm not… I'm just a cheap facsimile."

Holding her by the upper arms, Sam turned Carson to face her as she said, meaning every word, "No, you're not. You're a human being. Ok, granted you may never lead the life that you once lived, but you are you. The Air Force gave General O'Neill's clone a new life, and look at him now – he's at Harvard."

Carson released a hollow laugh as she turned away to look back over the bay, remarking, "I don't want to go through University all over again. I just want to be me."

"Maybe there's a way. Let's face it – you were the best damn Doctor in the Pegasus galaxy."

"Thinking of Janet?"

"You bet I am."

The two women looked out across the water, the night-time lighting of the city reflecting in the gentle motion of the tide. Carson sighed and said,

"Everything's changed… including me. I seriously thought that Colonel Sheppard and Teyla would have a go at things… and that… I'm still getting my head round you and Doctor Jackson getting married. I mean… Ok, I know that you were pregnant before I died, and he had a pretty hefty tumour, but it's a lot to take in."

Sam chuckled softly and remarked, "You're telling me."

"Aye… and then there's Rodney. He and Katie were a couple."

Sam sighed and said, "He called it off after you died. Despite what everyone said, he felt guilty for had happened and he couldn't keep it up. And you being here now is kind of freaking him out."

"Aye, I'll say. Why would he blame himself? It wasn't his fault."

Sam nodded slightly and replied, "He thinks that if he hadn't avoided going fishing with you, Doctor Cole would have had the Infirmary duty, and you would have been safe."

"But that's not true. I would've run in as soon as I heard Doctor Hewton explode, as weird as that sounds."

Sam placed a hand over hers, and replied, "Despite being very insensitive at times, he loves you…"

As Carson looked at her oddly, Sam rolled her eyes and continued, "As a friend… as a friend, Doctor."

"Well, if we're going to be having these girly chats, you could at least call me Carson… or a female equivalent."

Sam smiled and replied, "Ok then, the same goes for you. I guess as Carolyn won't let us call her Carrie any more, I could call you that… _but_, to me at least, you're still Carson Beckett."

Carson, feigning shyness, suggested, "You could always call me Becky."

"How about Scotty?"

"Oh no… I still remember the Simpsons piss-take… _He's showing me visions of my future… I'm so fat!'_"

The women chuckled before falling silent, and Carson asked quietly, "As weird as it is to ask this, what was my funeral like?"

Sam replied with a sigh, "Beautiful. Every bit deserving of a pretty damn fine Doctor. The Church was jam-packed, and McKay delivered a beautiful eulogy in your honour. Your family was so nice. Apparently you had a proper Scots send-off from here, with a Piper."

Carson smiled, a distant look in her eyes, and Sam continued, "It was a couple of weeks after Daniel and I… uh, after Daniel and I became parents."

Surprised, Carson looked at her and asked, "Your babies came?"

"Oh, they did."

"Teyla's got some photos of them and they're cute… I'll give them that."

Amused, Sam asked, "She's still got them?"

"Aye – she's in love with them, and you only gave them to her at the end of February."

"Feels like a lot longer."

"She showed me the photos she took at your on-base party too."

Sam smiled and said, "I've got a lot more photos for you to look at… there's a lot in Elizabeth's office."

Carson nodded and paused before remarking, "I still can't believe Elizabeth got pregnant… no wonder Rodney's upset… he keeps referring to Colonel Sheppard as Captain Kirk."

"Yeah..."

There was another long silence as they closed their eyes, savouring the night air, before Carson said, "Congratulations on your promotion."

Sam smiled at her, replying, "Thanks Carson."

"I was rather surprised on hearing that what with the United States military being chiefly a paternalistic establishment."

Smiling briefly, Sam replied, "Me too, but I'm happy with it, although I've spent so much time apart from our babies, and Daniel's in charge back home now."

"Oh, now _that_ is a surprise, but you guys saw off the Ori."

"Yeah…"

Carson paused before asking, "Why did you come out here, Sam?"

Sam shrugged, took a deep breath and replied, "Couldn't sleep… and it looks like it's contagious."

They both jerked in surprise as one of Sheppard's many golf balls accidentally splashed far closer to them than its predecessors. The women laughed, and Sam remarked,

"Like I said – contagious… Lorne's painting…"

"Aye, he's a beautiful painter."

"Yeah… it's the first time he's painted since… you know."

Surprised, Carson asked, "Really?"

"Yep. I think it's something to do with needing an emotional release… you've touched more than a few lives out here, Doc."

Carson glanced down, embarrassed, and Sam continued, "The Sergeant didn't say anything about Teyla and Ronon, so I can only assume that she's having another go at teaching him how to meditate… McKay's with Jennifer in one of the Ancient labs."

Carson sighed, remembering his… her death, and Sam placed a hand on her shoulder, saying, "It's ok… McKay knows what he's doing."

"Aye, I know… it's just that I remembered that tumour making machine. Did they do anything to stop that from happening again?"

Sam remarked, "Well, with McKay threatening to bite every scientist's head off if they so much as switch anything on, however innocuous it appears, it got the entire contingent scared – even Kavanagh."

Carson asked, surprised, "Even him?"

"Oh yes, although he mumbles behind McKay's back about being busted like a Private."

Carson chuckled, and Sam asked, clapping her on the back, "So how are you coping being a woman?"

Carson rolled her eyes and retorted, "I've been one for nearly two years now, woman."

As Sam raised an eyebrow, Carson continued, gesturing with her hands, "And yes, it may have escaped your notice, but I'm a Doctor not a soldier, and I knew what to expect after I got over the initial shock."

"I'll say… how many men did you slap today?"

"Sam?!"

"Hey… McKay's face was priceless."

"I felt like a piece of meat today."

"Hmm, this little Asgard tinkering's turned you into quite the feminist."

"Shut up, Sam."


	21. Sleeping Tablets

Daniel lay awake one night with Jack in the next bed, the Archaeologist still not taking his sleeping pills, despite really wanting some sleep. Jack whispered,

"Daniel? Daniel? Are you awake?"

Sighing, Daniel replied, "No Jack, I'm fast asleep."

"Funny… it would've been even funnier if you hadn't reused it from the-whup-Osiris'-ass mission."

Daniel released a shuddering breath, his head resting on his clasped hands as he stared into the darkness above him, illuminated a small amount by the minimal light coming through the window. Jack remarked,

"You should've taken the pills that Carolyn gave you."

"I know… it's just… I want to be able to dream when I eventually sleep."

"Why did you get the pills?"

"Well, you all ganged up on me."

Daniel sighed and asked, "Do you think it'll look bad if I paid a visit to Sam?"

Jack remarked, "Like you give a damn about what others think."

"Well, I'd get busted for misappropriation of the 'gate. I could get away with sending the Tollan with the Nox when I was on SG-1, but now, I could very easily get court martialled."

"I see you've thought about it."

"Yeah…"

Daniel paused and asked, "How did you manage being away from Sara for so long when you were out in Iraq?"

Jack exhaled, and replied, "Oh, that takes me back. It was hard – I'm not gonna sugar-coat it. I missed her so damn much, and it was mostly at the silliest of moments. This guy I was working with… uh, Mallozzi, he rarely shaved, and every time I saw him, I couldn't help but think how Sara would say _'honey, you need a date with a razor'_."

Daniel chuckled, remarking, "I take it she likes clean-shaven men?"

"All the men in her life were clean-shaven. Mike… her brothers… me…"

"That's interesting… because sometimes women go for men that aren't like the men they grew up with."

Jack snorted, remarking, "Yeah, like Carter. Come on Dannyboy, you can give the rest of us a run for our money… you're a pretty damn fine soldier… clean-shaven too."

"Jaack."

"Hey, you're the one who spouted a dodgy theory."

"Well, it is true for some women… take Sarah for instance. Her Dad was a Major in the Household Cavalry in the British Army, and she still went out with me, floppy haired as I was."

"You just keep on attracting those military brats."

Daniel sarcastically remarked, "Yeah, like Sha're."

"I'm fluent in Abydonian – Kas'uf was their version of a General."

Daniel rolled his eyes, retorting, "Yeah right."

He then proceeded to murmur something in Abydonian. Jack remarked, not knowing what the Archaeologist had said,

"You kiss Carter with that mouth!?"

"Jaaack! I said '_Tiger, tiger burning bright, in the forest of the night, what immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?_', and what other mouth would I use to kiss my wife?! I may be a Lazarus according to you, but I only have one mouth."

"It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if you had an extra one of anything. So… you gonna take those pills or am I gonna have to get Teal'c?!"

Daniel sighed, asking, "What time is it?"

Jack pushed the 'illumi-glo' button on his civilian watch, and said, "Half two."

"I've got to be there by eight… I'll end up sleeping longer."

"Not if I have anything to do with it… just take one pill instead of two."

Sighing again, Daniel sat up, switching the bedside lamp on and squinting at the sudden influx of light into his retinas. He reached for his pills and took one with a sip of water before switching the light off. He lay back down again, and Jack remarked,

"How strong are those things?"

Daniel replied, growing drowsy, "Pretty… much. 'night Ja…"

Jack smiled in the darkness as he listened to Daniel's breathing evening out, and he whispered, "'night Daniel."


	22. Graduation

SG-1, Daniel, Elizabeth, Jack and the twins were all in the crowd at Cassie's graduation ceremony in the grounds of UCLA, the Californian sunshine necessitating sun block and floppy hats for the twins at the very least. Unbeknownst to them, a certain blonde woman wearing sunglasses and a large beret sat some distance away, watching the proceedings with a smile. She looked several times in the direction of SG-1 too, at Daniel and the twins in particular, luckily, for her, not getting caught in the enterprise.

The woman had to wipe away several tears as Cassie, the Valedictorian, delivered her speech, dedicated in memory to Janet.

Further down the crowd, Jack clapped Daniel on the shoulder as the Archaeologist looked sad at Sam not being able to attend, having been told that she hadn't found a way to come with McKay, who should have been up in Vancouver by that point. Reynolds had called him to inform him of McKay and Carson's arrival.

After the ceremony, Daniel, Jack, Elizabeth and SG-1 all congratulated the newly minted Doctor Frasier, hugging her, the twins playing with her mortar board. Simon joined them, kissing Cassie, which resulted in the adults turning away to give them some privacy. They hugged and said their farewells before the Hankan spotted the blonde woman with the beret.

Unable to contain herself, Cassie exclaimed with a grin, "Sam!"

Jack and the gang exchanged startled looks, which grew even more so on seeing none other than Sam, removing her beret and sunglasses approach their position to congratulate Cassie, and hugging her.

Her friends continued to stare, dumbfounded, and the twins, squirmed in Teal'c's and Cam's holds, calling, "Mommy!"

Her arm around an excited Cassie, Sam said to her friends, "Surprise."

Jack, the first to recover, remarked, "I'll say."

Just as Sam was about hug the twins, her friends, with knowing looks, decided to step away, leaving just her and Daniel. Daniel, eventually getting over his surprise, quickly pulled her into his arms and said, holding her close,

"God, I thought you wouldn't be able to make it!"

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world."

They parted enough to gaze at each other, and he kissed her, relieved to have her in front of him. He asked, getting a little carried away in his kissing,

"How long do you have?"

"Well McKay's in Vancouver – he's coming back to the SGC this evening, and we're waiting for the Tok'ra to come to look at Carson."

He hugged her again, whispering, "I've missed you so much, Sam. I know it's barely been a month yet, but oh… I wish you'd told me – I'm too old for surprises."

"Jackson, you can never be too old for surprises."

She kissed him tenderly before saying, holding his wrist, "Come on – I want to see our babies."


	23. Reunions

_Anywho, lyrics (eventually) featured are Maria McKee's Show Me Heaven, _

_--------------------_

Evening had fallen across the central United States, and McKay had returned with his prodigious sister from Canada, the former impatient to return to Atlantis, but was impeded by the fact that the Tok'ra High Council were taking longer than initially claimed over the decision of helping Earth to check Carson out. The IOA were in turn impatient to have the whole checking process done and dusted with so that the Atlantis personnel could return to carry out their jobs.

After spending some quality time with the twins, Daniel and her friends, Sam returned to the SGC with most of them, including of course Daniel, to find Jeannie Miller née McKay working on something with Lee as McKay paced the floor of Sam's lab, ranting about the insensitivity and such of a race who were essentially the Goa'uld.

Sam, after greeting Jeannie and Lee and shaking her head in disbelief at McKay's rants, wandered over to the Infirmary with Elizabeth to see Carson. The Doctor was seated on a gurney, already chatting amicably with Carolyn, when the two leaders of Atlantis, past and present entered the room. Elizabeth froze in surprise in the doorway, Sam, glancing at her in concern briefly, saying,

"Hey Carson."

Carson turned and her eyes widened in surprise on seeing Elizabeth staring at her dumbfounded. The Doctor waved and smiled sheepishly, saying,

"Hello Elizabeth."

Sam, grimacing a little as she anticipated Elizabeth's reaction, held the former leader's elbow as a preventative measure, i.e. to prevent her from falling. Carson, unsure as what to do lest she shock Elizabeth further, didn't move from the gurney, leaving Elizabeth to approach her.

After staring at the Scotswoman for a full minute straight, Elizabeth said, almost gasping, "Carson."

"Aye, in the… well, not really in the flesh. I'm a clone. That wee sod Hermiod cloned me, uh, him."

As Sam leant in the doorway, feigning casualness, Elizabeth slowly stepped forward, making a sound half way between a cry and a gasp, and she said, raising an eyebrow briefly, "I was there. Rodney read the eulogy… we saw you off. Oh God…"

Sam stepped forward in case Elizabeth collapsed, but she didn't. She stepped forward until she was right in front of Carson, Carolyn standing a few steps away, her arms folded across her chest as she looked on, concerned due in no small part to Elizabeth's condition. Elizabeth, trembling, reached up to cup Carson's jaw, her thumb smoothing the skin under the Doctor's left eye, before she chewed her lip as the tears began to fall, and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oh Carson, we've missed you so much. It's been… it's been hell without you."

Carson sighed as she hugged Elizabeth back, whispering, "Elizabeth, I'm not him – I'll never be him."

"I don't care… you're here. It's you… it's really you."

Carson, for the first time since she had been found, allowed herself to cry as she held onto Elizabeth, the two women grieving together for the same man. Sam and Carolyn, and a number of nurses, had to brush away their own tears as they watched the reunion before deciding to give them a little privacy.

--------------------

Sam and Cam walked down a corridor to the Commissary, the latter remarking, "So McKay's pretty pissed at these guys."

"Well, to be honest, me too. We've done so much for them and this is like a slap in the face. For crying out loud, we weakened Baal, but those guys are so arrogant."

"So… how was it out there?"

"It's not bad… but I suppose it's only a matter of time before the Wraith mount that attack of theirs."

"Pfft, yeah right. Fifty bucks says the IOA or even the Trust have put a what-sit on Atlantis to attract them."

She grimaced, reminded of the lengths that the IOA had gone to in order to lure Baal out of the galaxy before, and she replied, "I wouldn't put it past the so-and-sos."

She suddenly smiled, and asked, glancing at him, "So… how are you Vala going on?"

"Pretty good. We told you earlier that we're living together again."

"Yeah, I know – I'm just so happy for you guys… although how have you got round being on the same team now that you're the CO again?"

"Ah… well, that's when the IOA and NID's prejudices have an advantage. She's an alien and apparently doesn't count as a team member in their eyes at least. Ok, I'm pissed at that naturally, but you gotta admit it does have its perks."

He continued with a shrug, "I can't imagine Vala wanting to get hitched anyhow."

She placed a hand on his shoulder and replied, "Cam, I told you…"

"I know, I know… but we're still good together. I've actually found I'm smiling a lot more."

"I'll say… you're not glaring so much."

They both chuckled, and Teal'c joined them, asking, "What is of a humorous nature?"

Sam remarking, clapping the Jaffa on the shoulder as she glanced at Cam, "Cam's not glaring so much."

"This is because of his improved relationship with ValaMalDoran."

As Cam smiled slightly, Sam replied, "Oh yes. So… how's Ish'ta?"

"Ish'ta is well."

Cam remarked, noting the Jaffa's grim expression, "You guys had a bust-up?"

Teal'c just looked at him with the same expression but said nothing, and Sam raised her eyebrows briefly and exhaled. Teal'c, changing the subject, said,

"DanielJackson has had difficulty sleeping this past month without you, Samantha. We suggested that he see DoctorLam, who prescribed him sleeping pills, which he seldom takes."

Surprised, Sam replied, "He didn't say anything."

Cam remarked, "Come on, it's Jackson."

Smiling briefly, Sam said, "Yeah, you've got a point. I'll go confront him later."

Cam, a mischievous glint in his eye, remarked as he glanced at a now smirking Teal'c, "He's been pretty tense too."

Teal'c added, "He has indeed."

Sam closed her eyes briefly and remarked, getting embarrassed, "You guys wouldn't happen to be insinuating that I… that I would fraternise with our commanding officer while we're both on duty… would you?"

As Cam, anticipating what was to come, shook his head slightly, smiling, Teal'c retorted point-blank, his face expressionless, "Of course we are. We were not conversing about ice-cream."

--------------------

As the Tok'ra were taking their sweet time to contact Earth, Sam sent McKay and Jeannie up to the Daedalus to keep the former out of everyone else's hair, before visiting her husband in his office. Reynolds was in the process of leaving and he smiled briefly at her, clapping her shoulder before leaving, and she sat in the seat opposite the Archaeologist.

Daniel looked up and said, looking tired and naturally tense, "Hey Sam."

Sam, her arms folded across her chest, looked at him, an eyebrow raised as she remarked, "Word on the street is that you've been having trouble sleeping, and Carolyn gave you some pills."

He closed his eyes and ducked his head in a defeated gesture, asking quietly, "Who told you?"

Concerned, she reached over and held one of his hands in hers, replying as she gently smoothed the skin of the said appendage, "It doesn't matter. What matters is that you didn't tell me earlier today. Daniel, we're married – you're supposed to tell me things like this."

He sighed and said softly, gazing at her, "I didn't want you to be worried."

She regarded him for a moment before saying, forcing him to stand, "Come on Jackson, you're going off-duty for three hours."

He made to protest, saying, "But Sam… the Tok'ra…"

"Hell, they're taking their sweet time anyway…"

She paused on the threshold of the office and continued as she looked back at him, "Get Reynolds to cover. He's looking positively exuberant compared to you."

He closed his eyes briefly before saying, almost whispering, "Ok."

After a brief stop-over at Reynolds' office, she dragged him off to his quarters, and sat him down on the bed. As he gaped, stunned, she said, sitting next to him as she held his hand,

"Daniel… I'm sorry."

Surprised even further, he asked, "What? Why?"

"Ok, I'm already sorry about choosing to work over…"

"No Sam…"

"Let me finish. I'm sorry because I was too stressed before I went, and we agreed not to do it, because it wouldn't have been comfortable."

He caressed her jaw with his other hand and said, shaking his head, "Sam, no…"

"Daniel, I want to. You're needed here, not just by the SGC but by our babies. Let me do this for you. I'm going to miss your birthday next month and I don't even know when or if I'm coming back."

By this time tears had fallen down her cheeks, and she quickly wiped them away, quietly exclaiming, "Dammit… I told myself I wouldn't cry."

Tears glistening in his eyes, he gently forced her to meet his gaze as he said, "Sam, I love you and I appreciate what you're saying, but no… you wouldn't enjoy it, and if you don't, then I can't… I love you."

"And I love you Daniel, but this isn't about me – this is about you."

She continued, a little more firmly, "I want to do this… I know you respect me. I know you do."

His breath catching in his throat, he gazed at her as she eventually met his gaze, and he whispered, "Oh God Sam, I wish you wouldn't… I wish…"

She reached a hand behind his neck, caressing his sensitive spot as she said, her lips a hair breadth away from his, "I want to… but only if you say 'yes'."

He closed his eyes tightly and she kissed him, tenderly, letting him take the initiative. He kissed her back, almost moaning into her mouth on feeling a once familiar warmth down south once again. He broke away, whispering,

"Sam, I…"

She placed a finger on his lips, silencing him, and whispered back, "Just say 'yes'. This could very well be our last time."

"No, don't say that."

"Well, it could be. Let's face it, I'll be miles away after the Tok'ra get their collective butts in gear, and… Come on Daniel… please…"

He caressed her jaw and whispered, wincing ever so slightly, "No Sam, not if you're not going to enjoy it."

She closed her eyes before replying, "I will, trust me. It hurts to see you this troubled – it really does. Please, just trust me."

"Oh God Sam, of course I trust you… I already trust you with my life…"

"Then trust me on this."

He gazed at her, sadness in his eyes, and she leant forward and kissed him. When they parted, he said, swallowing in an attempt to assuage the oral dryness that was setting in,

"Sam…"

"I love you Daniel, and you really do need this."

He closed his eyes, tears running from under his closed lids as she reached up to caress his jaw. He whispered,

"Sam, I don't want you to feel used."

"I won't, I promise."

Shutting his eyes tightly as he let her hands go, he clenched his hands into fists before throwing them down again, and exhaling. He opened his eyes and said,

"Only if you want to… yes."

Smiling through her own tears, she reached out to caress his jaw once more, whispering, "That's what I've been telling you!"

Kissing once more, they quickly helped each other out of their clothes, and she laid him down. He gazed up at her, worried, and she whispered as she lay over him,

"I love you."

"Je t'aime, aussi Samantha."

"_There you go, flashing fever from your eyes,  
Hey babe, come over here and shut them tight,  
I'm not denying, we're flying above it all,  
Hold my hand don't let me fall,  
You've such amazing grace,  
I've never felt this way…_"

They gazed at each other, her dog tags falling onto his chest as her St Christopher lay in a heap on the nightstand, their love for each other reflected in each other's eyes. She lowered her head to kiss him, her lips moving to the sensitive spot on his neck, and then to his chest, his breathing noticeably altering as felt himself gradually reawaken after suffering nearly a month of drought, so to speak.

"_Show me heaven, cover me,  
Leave me breathless,  
Oh, show me heaven, please…_"

Shutting his eyes and unable to take any more without potentially deafening the entire mountain never mind his wife, he whispered, hoarsely, "Sam, stop."

She lifted her head from his abdomen, looking at him, concerned and suddenly worried. He gazed down at her and continued, "I refuse to do this without you. I want to make love to you too."

A sob caught in her throat, and she whispered back, "Daniel… I…"

"No Sam. No way in hell am I just going to take it, not like this. Please Sam…"

Their gazes fixed for a moment as tears ran down her cheeks, and she remarked, her voice wavering with emotion, "Trust you to think of others. Come on Daniel, I meant what I said."

"I know, and I'm grateful – oh, I am so grateful, thank you, but…"

Wincing at the strain down south, he sat up and held her, pulling her down to lay with him. As he fought to control his breathing as another part of him would rather that she had carried on, he gazed at her, reaching up to dry her tears before proceeding to make love to her with his mouth, her body eventually opening up for him.

"_Oh, show me heaven, cover me,  
Leave me breathless,  
Oh… show me heaven, now…_"

At the right time, he entered her slowly, both of them savouring the feeling, and he kissed her softly, whispering as his tears fell, "Sam, I love you."

"_If you know what it's like to dream a dream,  
Baby hold me tight and let this be…_"

Sniffing back her tears, she whispered before losing herself in the ecstasy before them, "I love you too Daniel… we really don't need to say it."

"_Oh… show me heaven, cover me,  
Leave me breathless,  
Oh… oh… oh… show me heaven… now…_"

He replied, groaning, "True."

--------------------

They laid together, a tangle of limbs and bed sheets, and he, resting his head on the pillow, kissed her softly, whispering, "Thank you."

She chuckled softly, whispering back, "You're welcome, and thank you."

His fingers caressed her cheek and he said, "I missed you so damn much Sam. They made me see Carolyn for some pills but I didn't want to take them. I mean, as corny as this sounds, I didn't want to miss you in my dreams."

She smiled, remarking, "That is pretty corny but I know what you mean. Luckily for me at least, sleep loss is contagious out in that Lost City of yours. Lorne's taken to painting again, Shep's bashing golf balls into the water, Ronon's having another go at learning how to meditate with Teyla, and Carson's feeling left out."

He held her close and replied, stroking her shoulder, "Hmm, I'll say… it's rather creepy having him… uh, her here. We went to his funeral."

She smiled against his neck, remarking, "Look who's talking!"

"Yes, but I didn't actually die. Even when…"

They simultaneously sighed, and she whispered, "I know…"

She lifted herself above him, her dog tags touching his chest again, and she remarked, smiling although her cheeks were red, "I hope you can sleep tonight."

He smiled up at her, gently moving her hair from out of her eyes as his own eyes reflected his inner pain, and retorted, "Well, I probably won't if those Tok'ra take any longer."

"Well, that's gratitude for you."

"Yeah…"

They gazed at each other before he said, feigning coyness, his cheeks reddening nonetheless, "So… Colonel Carter-Jackson, how would you like a debriefing in the shower?"

She grinned, remarking, "Why Doctor Jackson, I do believe you're coming onto me."

"You _believe _I'm coming onto you?!"

Chuckling, she kissed him softly before remarking, "Smooth Jackson…"

As they got up, he asked, "Uh, Sam?"

Turning to face him, frowning slightly, she asked, "Daniel? What is it?"

"How come McKay flew to Vancouver? He could've beamed down."

She chuckled and replied, "He likes airline food."


	24. Departing Again

_Ok, I'm not completely sure that Per'sus is a canon character, so I'm going to take the opportunity to reference Pagan Twylight's a Path not Taken (which I must get round to reading the rest of one day, and so should you… that is if you feel that the show didn't go into the Tok'ra deep enough)._

_--------------------_

Eventually, an incoming wormhole siren sounded, and Sam, Daniel and SG-1 ran to the control room, Walter saying as he held his earpiece in, "It's the Tok'ra, Sir."

Cam remarked, "About damn time!"

Sam, Vala, Jonas and Teal'c smiled briefly, and Daniel said, "Ok."

They all gazed up at the 'gate covered by the Iris as the voice of a Tok'ra came over the speakers, "This is Per'sus of the Tok'ra, leader of the Tok'ra High Council. With whom am I speaking?"

Daniel replied, "Daniel Jackson and SG-1."

"Ah, Daniel Jackson of the Tau'ri… The High Council have reached a decision as to your request, and after much deliberation, we have agreed to send two of our scientists. Anise and Juseen should be with you shortly."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Woolsey joined them. Daniel asked, "Thank you, but if you don't mind me asking, what was the hold up?"

"There are some that believe that we should not assist the Tau'ri on too many occasions, but we have taken your record with us into consideration…"

Cam remarked quietly to Jonas, "Arrogant so-and-so, ain't he?"

Jonas whispered back as Teal'c smirked briefly, "That's an understatement."

Vala remarked, "My dear Colonel, they're the Tok'ra."

Sam smiled slightly as Daniel said, "Ok, as Jack would say, come on down…"

A few seconds later, the wormhole disengaged, and then activated once more. Walter said,

"Receiving IDC… it's the Tok'ra Sir."

Daniel called as he, his friends and Woolsey ran down to the gateroom, "Open the Iris."

The Iris opened, Anise and Juseen appeared shortly afterwards with several cases, the gateroom personnel eventually lowering their weapons as Daniel stepped forward to greet them before leading them to the Infirmary.

--------------------

After several more tests, as well as looking over the genetic tests conducted by Brightman and Carolyn, Anise reported to Daniel, Woolsey and a much calmer Elizabeth in the observation room, "The genetic structure of Doctor Beckett is much more stable than that of General O'Neill's clone, and we have concluded that she is safe to continue Doctor Beckett's role in the Lost City of the Ancients. The change of gender however is intriguing as we have no record of any previous case of such with regard to the Asgard."

Woolsey asked as Elizabeth and the rest flinched at his cold, brisk tones, "Is the subject Doctor Carson Beckett?"

Anise replied, "In all but gender. She retains the same skills of the original, and I am told, the same inflections of speech, gender notwithstanding."

SG-1 and Daniel smiled briefly, the latter asking, glancing at Woolsey, "So, Doctor Beckett can resume her post?"

As Anise acquiesced, Woolsey replied, "Well, I will have to contact my superiors…"

Daniel remarked, surprising his friends, "Oh come on, I know for a fact that they approve of Doctor Beckett being reinstated as long as she's supervised for the first six months. For crying out loud, I swear you mention your superiors for dramatic licence. Go on, call them if you must but I'm approving the Doctor to be sent back to Atlantis with everyone else who should be working now instead of waiting for the Tok'ra."

He glanced at Anise and said, "No offence Anise."

Anise bowed slightly and replied, "None taken, DanielJackson. We did not wish to void the alliance by taking so long, but Per'sus informed you about the voices of opposition."

"Well, better late than never. Thank you."

Anise bowed once more before preparing to leave with Juseen. After Woolsey had left, Sam and Cam simultaneously clapped Daniel on his shoulders as the rest of SG-1 looked on, very amused. Sam remarked, grinning,

"_For crying out loud_?!"

Daniel, looking down at the floor briefly, said with a smile, "I think Jack's rubbed off on me after all."

Vala remarked, smiling fondly at him, "I'll say."

--------------------

Finally clear to go, Sam and Carson stood in the gateroom with SG-1, Daniel, Elizabeth and Woolsey. Sam hugged her friends, and as she hugged Elizabeth, she whispered,

"Liz, I'm sorry. I didn't know we'd be so late going back. Next time, I'm bringing Shep with me."

Elizabeth, smiling slightly, replied, "Thank you Sam, but you don't have anything to apologise for. I understand. Good call on sending Rodney up."

She then hugged Carson, whispering, "Good luck out there."

"Thanks Elizabeth. It's a shame I won't be able to stay to help out with your baby, which I'm sure is going to be as bonny as its Mam."

"Thanks Carson."

Last but not least, Sam pulled Daniel into a hug, and he whispered into her ear, "I'm going to miss you so damn much Sam."

"I'll say – you don't usually curse."

Cam clapped him on the shoulder, remarking, "It's that suppressed sexual desire."

As Vala grinned, Sam and Daniel reddened and said in chorus, embarrassed, "Shut up."

She returned her attention to Daniel and whispered, still holding him, "I might send Shep when McKay comes back with Jeannie. I don't think I'll do this again… Jennifer won't be able to manage if we get attacked by the Wraith while I'm out here."

He caressed her jaw, replying, "I understand."

He continued, joking with a grin, red nonetheless, "He won't be anywhere near as good as you."

She raised an eyebrow briefly before kissing him on the cheek and whispering, "Sing to the twins for me."

He kissed her back and she was about to step away when he held her hand. Frowning slightly, she felt something and her eyes widened in surprise when she realised what it was. He smiled, remarking,

"You say I forget things – I think it's contagious."

She kissed him quickly, putting her St Christopher around her neck once more, and Walter called, getting a little teary-eyed at the romance, "The Daedalus is ready and waiting Colonel."

Sam stepped closer to Carson and said, waving, "Bye folks."

Smiling, her friends waved back before a second later, the two women were on the bridge of the Daedalus in front of a grim-faced Caldwell. McKay, with a bemused Jeannie hanging back, stepped forward and remarked,

"How long did you plan on taking down there? You may have forgotten that we've got a war out there and as it pains me to say it, we need Jeannie for our little scientific endeavours."

Sam smiled as Carson stepped forward and said, "Easy Rodney, we'll get there."

McKay's gaze softened on seeing his friend, and he turned away. Sam said as she followed Carson, Caldwell giving the order to pull out of Earth's orbit,

"It's ok Carson – he'll be back to normal soon."

"I sure as hell hope so."

--------------------

Later that night, as Elizabeth, Cassie and the twins slept, Daniel and Jack lay awake. Jack asked,

"How was it?"

Daniel exhaled, whispering, "The Tok'ra took their time coming…"

"I'll say."

"McKay nearly hit the roof so Sam got him and Jeannie onboard the Daedalus before Carolyn had to prescribe everyone within a fifty mile radius aspirin."

"So…?"

"I told you already – Doctor Beckett's… "

"No, you dolt, I meant you and Carter. Man, your face was priceless in LA."

"You're telling me – I nearly had a heart attack."

Smirking, Jack remarked, "I bet you coded later on…"

Blushing, Daniel exclaimed, "Jaaack."

"I knew it."

"What?"

"Never mind. Oh, for crying out loud, it was obvious from the moment you came home."

"Jaaack!"

"You're just asking for it."

"Jack?"

"Daniel?"

"Shut up."

"Smooth. No, uh, no sleeping pill tonight?"

"Jaaack…"


	25. Miller's Crossing

After creating what McKay reluctantly agreed to call 'Miller's Crossing', Radek sent a probe via the interdimensional bridge and all present watched the monitor screen as they held the crossing open to see what was on the other side. Jeannie stood in between McKay and Radek, and gaped in surprise, along with everyone else on seeing an alternate version of herself on screen with shorter hair. McKay spoke into the microphone,

"Hello? Who is this?"

The other Jeannie replied, "I'm Doctor Jeannie McKay of the Earth Colony Atlantis… who are you? You sound like my annoying brother Meredith."

Everyone this side snickered before McKay glared at them into stopping.

Jeannie, surprised, spoke into the microphone, "Hello? Doctor McKay? I'm Doctor Jeannie Miller, speaking from Atlantis… our Atlantis. We're conducting an experiment to maintain a stable bridge between two universes."

Jeannie McKay replied, "Oh right… you're me, and that must have been Mer. Ok, yes, we ran a similar experiment and grabbed little snatches of energy from several universes at random but…."

McKay interrupted her, saying quickly, "Yes, yes, yes, we did the same thing but it had the nasty little side effect of destroying other universes."

"Well Mer, that certainly beats destroying a solar system."

As everyone glanced at McKay, he said, "It was two-thirds of a solar system, thank you very much, and it was uninhabited."

Sam smiled and asked, "How have you guys come along?"

Jeannie McKay, surprised, said, "Colonel Jackson?"

Sam blinked in surprise and replied, "Yes?"

"You're pregnant in our universe."

Embarrassed, Sam said as McKay rolled his eyes, "Okaay…"

Jeannie McKay smiled and said, "Ok, well, we scored a ZPM which really got our Mer pissed."

Radek asked, "Just out of curiosity, what is your role there?"

"Hey Radek… I'm the chief scientist."

McKay looked increasingly annoyed as Sam slowly patted him on the shoulder, and he asked, impatient, "Pleasantries aside, how did you do it?"

"We got lucky Mer. Actually, we've got a spare if you're after one. I assume I just throw it through the McKay… um, Miller Crossing?"

"Rolling would be preferred. It is a delicate piece of technology after all…"

"Jeez, relax Mer. Whichever universe it is, you're so highly strung."

"Just send it over."

Sam squeezed his shoulder and remarked, "Say 'please' McKay…"

As Jeannie McKay sent someone to retrieve their spare ZPM, Jeannie asked, "Um, how come you kept your name?"

Jeannie McKay smiled and replied, "Well, seeing as I'm not married, why would I change it?"

Everyone blinked in surprise, not least Jeannie, and she asked, "You didn't meet Caleb?"

"Oh, I did, and we dated a few times but my work took precedence. I take it you married him?"

McKay remarked, "I'll say… I've got a niece."

"Wow… how are universes differ. Mrs Sheppard's going to be pleased – she likes alternate universes like the rest of us like soap operas."

Surprised, Sam asked, "_Mrs Sheppard_?"

"Yep, that's what we call Teyla. They got married last Spring."

Everyone exchanged odd looks and smiles, and McKay said, "Yeah, well in ours, Captain Kirk got Elizabeth pregnant."

"Wow… him and Doctor O'Neill?"

Just then the ZPM arrived in the large reactor but no-one paid attention as they practically gaped at the screen in total surprise, especially Sam.

--------------------

As McKay and his team installed the spare ZPM from the other universe, Sergeant Muniz called out, "Sensors detect three approaching Wraith hive ships, its weapons powered. ETA is five minutes."

McKay called, panicking, "That's nowhere enough time… we've got to recalibrate the installation sequence… it's a different style of ZPM, like a two-pin plug in a three-pin socket."

Sam, remembering something, ran off to her office and grabbed Merlin's device from a drawer in her desk with her laptop. As Jeannie, Radek and Jennifer followed her, she sprinted into the puddle jumper bay, using a jumper's power source and linking it to the device. Ignoring the sweat on her brow, she furiously typed into her laptop, interfacing the device with the craft as everyone watched with bated breath.

Sheppard, leaning casually against a bay door, asked, "How long is it gonna take?"

"Ooh, I don't know…"

"Ok… _will_ it work?"

"I don't know."

As Jeannie gulped, Sam added, "We'll know soon enough though."

Sheppard said, "Let me and Lorne take a couple of Jumpers to hold them off with a couple of drone weapons."

"It's way too risky."

"And this isn't?!"

Sam snapped, still typing, "Look Shep, if you want something to do, go and join Ronon in looking at McKay and his team meaningfully. If I send you out in a Jumper, you'll get blown up. There's no time to put out a distress call to the Daedalus… they're ferrying the Athosians to a new homeworld after the earthquake. This and the ZPM are our only hopes."

"Right."

Sheppard fell silent as they all watched her, McKay joining them. Sam finally closed her eyes and pressed a button, whispering,

"It was nice knowing you guys."

They all waited with bated breath, and Sam called into her headset, "Muniz?"

There was a pause before they all gazed around each other in surprise on seeing energy weapon blasts running straight through them. Muniz replied, obviously surprised,

"Enemy has discharged weapons… weapons discharge has… it's passed through us. Enemy ships are moving away."

Everyone cheered, hi-fiving a much relieved Sam, and Sheppard leant down to hug her. McKay rushed off to shout at his team, and Jeannie asked, looking at Merlin's device,

"What is that?"

Sam replied with a smile, wiping her brow with a tissue, "That, Mrs Miller, is Merlin's device. It's shifted us into another dimension, hence the weapons fire going straight through us."

Jennifer knelt down next to Sam and hugged her, whispering, "I knew you'd do it."

"Thanks Jennifer."

Just then, they all felt their surroundings sink, and Muniz called into Sam's headset, "Ma'am, Doctor McKay's team did it. The city's submerged."


	26. Sheppard Junior

_Lyrics featured are For Baby (For Bobby) by John Denver, __Sur la Pont d'Avignon, __and __**Cyfri'r Geifr**__** ('Counting Goats'… **_it's a Welsh rhyme__

_--------------------_

After Jack and Sara had gone out for the evening, leaving Elizabeth pretending to sleep so as to avoid being a subject of one of Cassie's experiments, Daniel sat downstairs with the twins seated on his knees as Cassie called one of her friends. They were beginning to grow drowsy, and he gently smoothed their hair, gazing down at them with a hint of sadness in his eyes. In a low voice, he sang to them:

"_I'll walk in the rain by your side,  
I'll cling to the warmth of your tiny hand,  
I'll do anything to help you understand,  
I'll love you more than anybody can_

And the wind will whisper your name to me,  
Little birds will sing along in time,  
Trees will bow down when you walk by,  
And morning bells will chime…"

Cammie whispered, whimpering as she gazed at a fistful of his shirt, "'want Mommy."

James just clung onto the Archaeologist, and Daniel whispered, "Mommy's working, but she'll be coming home again. She's got to help Auntie Liz's friends."

Cammie began to cry, and in the process she woke up James who had been dozing off. He joined in, and Daniel, fighting back the tears in his own eyes, shushed them as he smoothed their hair, and he said,

"Please don't cry… you'll set me off. Come on… '_Sur la pont d'Avignon, on y danse, on y danse, sur la pont d'Avignon, on y danse tous le monde__…_'"

Their cries eventually died down into whimpering so he dried their tears and said, smiling slightly, "How about if we go to the Zoo on my next day off? We can go and see lions… you remember those lions on the TV?"

He then did a poor impression of a lion roaring, making them both laugh, and he smiled a little more, holding them tighter as he said, "You'll see – we'll have fun."

They grew drowsier and he carried them both upstairs, gazing at their fair heads with a fatherly smile. He lay them down in their cribs and gently sang as he gazed down at them, smoothing their heads,

"_Oes gafr eto, oes heb ei godro?  
Ar y creigiau geirwon  
Mae'r hen afr yn crwydro.  
Gafr wen, wen, wen,  
Ie fin wen, fin wen, fin wen,  
Foel gynffon wen, foel gynffon wen,  
Ystlys wen a chynffon,  
Wen, wen, wen…_"

Just as he finished, he felt his mobile buzzing in his pocket so he, smiling slightly, gently leant down and kissed them on their foreheads, whispering, "Goodnight, my sweet babies."

Carefully closing the door, he pulled his mobile out as he went downstairs and answered it, "Hello?"

"Hey Jackson."

"Reynolds? What's up?"

"Doctor McKay and Mrs Miller have come from Atlantis, and they've got Colonel Sheppard with them."

Surprised, Daniel asked as he entered the lounge, "Oh, um, is Sam with them?"

"Nope… boy, have you got some fun in store… you alright to come to the mountain?"

Glancing through to the kitchen to see Cassie still on the phone, Daniel said, "I don't know… I'll have to ask Cassie if she can watch the twins…"

He called to Cassie as he leaned in the doorway between the lounge and kitchen, "Cassie… sorry… can you watch over the twins for a couple of hours? I'm needed at the mountain."

Cassie, placing her hand over the mouthpiece of the receiver, replied, "Sure, I'm nearly done… go ahead."

"Thank you… can you tell Liz where I've gone too?"

"'course."

"Thanks."

Daniel said to Reynolds via his mobile, "Yeah, I'll be there in ten."

"Thanks Jackson."

--------------------

Daniel arrived at the mountain to find that McKay and Jeannie had already left for Vancouver, leaving Sheppard chatting up the Nurses in the Infirmary. Reynolds accosted the Archaeologist and as they walked down a corridor, the Colonel said,

"They got a close call over on Atlantis."

Surprised, Daniel looked at him, scared out of his head as he asked, "What happened?"

"The city got attacked by three hive ships."

As Daniel felt as though his insides were contracting, Reynolds continued, "McKay and his team were fighting against the clock to install that spare ZPM they got, so Colonel Jackson hooked up Merlin's device to a Puddle Jumper."

He continued with a grin, "She kicked ass Jackson. From what I've seen of the latest reports, and from what McKay said earlier, it worked. They shot right through the city and then McKay's team managed to sink the city. They're all safe."

Daniel took a moment to collect his thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Wow."

Reynolds looked at him, concerned and asked, "You ok?"

"Yeah… um, I will be. It's… Ok, I'll admit, I'm scared."

Reynolds nodded and remarked, patting him on the back, "It's ok to be scared Jackson. Only a fool ain't scared. Come on, coffee – I'm buying."

Daniel smiled slightly and replied, "Maybe some other time… I've got to drive Sheppard to my house to see Liz, and catch up with those mission reports."

"Hey, they'll still be here tomorrow… go home, get some rest. We got it all covered here. If you had a choice, you'd work yourself to a bone."

He continued, grinning, "Seeing as your wife isn't here, I'm the one who has to force you to go home."

Daniel rolled his eyes as the Colonel patted him on the shoulder, before the latter wandered off to his office. Daniel continued on his way to the Infirmary to get Sheppard.

Stepping into the Infirmary, he found Sheppard seated on a gurney and chatting to a very sceptical Carolyn. Daniel closed his eyes briefly as he caught some of the boasts the man was coming out with, and he said,

"Hey Sheppard."

Carolyn, thankful for the interruption, smiled gratefully at the Archaeologist before rushing away as Sheppard replied, "Hey Jackson… how're you doing?"

"Not bad – you?"

"A little out of sorts. How's Elizabeth?"

"Oh, morning sickness aplenty, but it isn't too bad now. You ready to come to my house?"

Surprised, Sheppard asked, "Now?"

"Well… yeah, of course. Would you rather flirt with more medical personnel?!"

Sheppard glared at him for a moment before slipping off the gurney and remarking, "The Colonel kicked ass."

Daniel's expression softened, and he replied, "I know… Reynolds filled me in on the way here."

Sheppard said, seriously, "You should be proud of her – she's saved our asses so many times already."

As they left the Infirmary, Daniel replied, "I'm proud of Sam already."

Walking down a corridor in silence, Sheppard glanced at the Archaeologist and said, "Thank you."

Confused, Daniel asked, "For what?"

"For taking care of Elizabeth… you… you've been great."

--------------------

Daniel arrived home with Sheppard in tow to find Cassie curled up on the sofa with a book, the baby monitor on the arm, and she looked over the back of the couch at them, surprised on seeing Sheppard, and said,

"Hey Daniel."

"Hey Cassie… everything ok?"

"Oh yes, the twins are asleep, and Liz is pretending to be asleep to avoid me… all's well."

Daniel smiled, and said, gesturing to Sheppard, "Oh, this is Colonel John Sheppard from Atlantis… uh, Sheppard, this is Doctor Cassandra Frasier, Janet's daughter."

Cassie and Sheppard nodded and smiled at each other, the latter saying, "Hi."

Cassie replied, a touch shy, "Hey."

Daniel, rolling his eyes at Sheppard's expression, said to Cassie, "Cassie, could you come upstairs with me a second?"

He gestured for Sheppard to sit as Cassie followed him upstairs. On the landing, Daniel said quietly, "Cassie, he's a good man but he's a flirt, so watch out."

Cassie replied, raising an eyebrow, "I'll kick his ass if he tries anything… I know who he is."

Daniel placed a hand on her shoulder briefly, saying with a smile, "Your mother would be proud."

"Yeah."

Smiling again, she went downstairs as Daniel knocked on Elizabeth's door, calling, "Liz? I'm _not_ Cassie."

Elizabeth called, "Thank goodness… come on in."

He entered to find her laid holding a pillow. He asked, "How are you doing?"

"Feeling terribly grotty."

He sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at her, and he said, "Sheppard's here."

She sat up, surprised and asked, an almost desperate glint in her eye, "He is?"

He nodded, replying, "He's downstairs. Do you feel up to seeing him?"

Suddenly her face fell, and she said, almost whispering, "Maybe not. He's probably come to say that he's moved on or…"

He shook his head and replied, "No, no, he wasn't expecting to come here. He just accompanied McKay and Mrs Miller back to Earth. Those two are en route to Vancouver, and he's here."

He continued, smiling, "Come on… Cassie and I will make ourselves scarce."

Smiling gratefully, she replied, "Thank you."

"It's nothing. If I was pregnant, I'd want to see the father."

She laughed as she got up, remarking, "Somehow, I can imagine you being pregnant."

--------------------

After a few awkward minutes, Elizabeth and Sheppard, as Cassie and Daniel took to playing Poker out back, began to talk, talking about practical things with regard to the arrival of the baby which seemed a lifetime away. Suddenly he remarked,

"Look at us… we're like Radek and Rodney talking about one of their projects."

She replied with a shrug, holding a cushion to her stomach, "Maybe it is. How are we going to work out? We didn't get much of a chance to talk before Sheppard Junior started dividing cells."

They gazed at each other for a moment, and she said, looking down at the floor, "I love you, John, but this is…"

She met his gaze and continued, "We've got a baby coming, and you're thousands of light years away. I don't think I can go back unless I take the baby with me, and we'll be in a professional environment once more. For the moment, however, I'm alone here. You're going to miss the pregnancy and perhaps even the birth."

He sighed and asked, his gaze firm, "What then? I resign? I…"

He stood up and looked out of the window between the drapes, continuing, sounding increasingly frustrated, "What the hell do you want me to do? You stopped me from resigning!"

Fighting back her tears, she closed her eyes and replied in a level voice, "I want to know that you want our baby, that you're ready to be a father… that you love me."

She squeezed the cushion tighter, unable to stop the tears that coursed down her cheeks. He, forcing himself to be calm, knelt down by her side, touched and to be honest, out of his depth, and he said,

"Elizabeth, I love you, but I can't promise you anything. I'm not sure whether I'm ready to be a father… it's not something that I've done before. To tell the truth, I'm scared. Not only that, there's no guarantee that I can be here for you without resigning. It's your choice Elizabeth – do I resign?"

"John, that is one of the worst questions you could possibly ask! How am I even going to answer that? If I say 'yes', then you're going to get twitchy being Earthbound after a month or so, but if I say 'no'… Look, we both know that the city is more important than both of us."

He gently cupped her jaw and kissed her, whispering, "I'd do it for you."

"I know you would."

She sighed and continued, "We'll have to take each day as it comes. You've got a job to do and I don't have a right to impede it."

"Elizabeth…"

She smoothed his jaw and said, taking a shuddering breath, "John, they need you out there… your field experience and skills are invaluable. I'll wait for you, and well, whether you wait for me…"

"Dammit, I know I'm a flirt but I love you, and I will wait for you."

Tears once more running down her cheeks, she whispered, "That's all I needed to hear."

--------------------

**Translation**

"_Oes gafr eto, oes heb ei godro?  
Ar y creigiau geirwon  
Mae'r hen afr yn crwydro.  
Gafr wen, wen, wen,  
Ie fin wen, fin wen, fin wen,  
Foel gynffon wen, foel gynffon wen,  
Ystlys wen a chynffon,  
Wen, wen, wen_.."

"_Where is the goat? It's time for milking  
Off among the craggy rocks  
The old goat is wand'ring.  
Goat white, white, white  
With her lip white, lip white, lip white  
With her tail white, with her tail white  
With her tail and flank white,  
White, white, white…"_

_There's more verses… with different colours. Lol. Every Welsh schoolchild learns this song (I did when I was still living in Cardiff)_


	27. Badder than Bad

Around a month later in the Pegasus galaxy, the premier team returned through the 'gate with an apprehensive looking McKay. Sam asked as they filed past her to get changed,

"What happened?"

Sheppard replied, "There were some Wraiths… Ronon shot a ship down… Teyla had a fight… oh, and McKay discovered something of intergalactic importance."

Teyla, looking much the worse for wear, remarked as she grimaced in pain due in no small part to a sizeable wound on her shoulder, "I doubt that I will be teaching Jennifer today."

McKay, the last to leave, said, panicking, "Sam… it's really bad… it's indescribably bad… it's badder than bad… it's worse than malevolent… it's…"

As he proceeded to blabber, Sam held his shoulders and said, firmly, "McKay, bottom line."

Suitably shaken, McKay replied, "I've discovered evidence that the Wraith are using Asuran technology. The ship that Ronon shot down on the planet had Asuran computational technology built in. We don't know whether it's a growing fashion or just a fluke, but if there are more of them, combined with the IOA's intelligence of ships forming alliances, we're doomed."

Shocked, she said, "Right, brief me later… get yourself checked out by Carson."

--------------------

Standing around on the balcony looking over the gateroom after being checked out by Carson and Brightman, the team briefed Sam on the situation on the planet. Ronon said,

"This is the only ship we've found so far with Asuran technology."

Teyla added, "We have yet to see them assimilate technology outright."

Sheppard said, "Maybe that's how the ships are forming alliances… maybe the Asurans are helping them out. We don't know what those hive ships that attacked Atlantis were capable of."

Sam asked, "But why would they? The Asurans are pretty arrogant from what I've heard, so… there's got to be something in it for them."

McKay remarked, paling, "Yes, like finishing us once and for all."

"Yeah, but they're fully capable of doing it by themselves without the Wraith."

Sheppard remarked, "Maybe they're running a dodgy galactic security service… set up the Wraith, get them to attack and then the big Asurans in shining ships come along to fight the Wraith and rescue us, and thus save our collective albeit grateful asses."

McKay raised an eyebrow and shot back, "Ok yes, the Asurans will stoop to the level of the Genii."

"Hey, they could be desperate."

Ronon asked, "What if the Wraith have culled them, and assimilated their technology?"

"We would have heard something by now. The Genii would've called in to gloat."

Sam said, exhaling, "Ok, you guys get onto the Daedalus and contact the Genii. We need all the intelligence we can get. Um, Teyla, you can sit this one out."

--------------------

After the team, minus Teyla, left onboard the Daedalus, Muniz announced, "Four Wraith hive ships approaching… ETA in four minutes. Weapons powering… energy signature matching that of Asuran weapons technology."

Cursing under her breath, Sam ordered the city to be submerged before calling for Radek. They worked together to activate Merlin's device once more, hooking it up to a Puddle Jumper's ZPM. Muniz called via her headset,

"Hive ships have fired…"

Everyone was startled when the weapons fire hit the city, shaking it under the sea. Sam, confused, said over her headset,

"Damage report."

"Shield integrity down to forty-four percent. If it gets substantially lower, we've got to surface."

"Got that."

Sam asked Radek, "What happened? We shifted."

Radek replied, hitching his glasses up as he looked more and more scared, "Perhaps they have some sort of transdimensional weapons. The Asurans copied Lantean period technology after all, and Merlin was an Ancient."

She made a few more adjustments as Muniz called after they were rocked by a series of blasts, "Shield down to thirty-seven percent."

Typing furiously, she called back, "Send out an encrypted distress call to the Daedalus."

"Yes Ma'am."

Another series of blasts, the shield down to twenty percent, Radek said, "There is no way… unless we use the control chair."

Still typing, she called into her headset, "Lorne, get yourself over to the control chair."

"Aye, aye Ma'am."

Lorne sprinted past them soon afterwards en route to the control chair, and Sam and Radek both cursed under their collective breaths as yet another blast shook the city. Muniz called,

"Colonel, shields are down to fifteen. I've got to surface."

"Do it."

She turned to Radek and said, "Radek, go and work on getting the shield back online."

Concerned, he said, "Sam…"

"No, go on."

Glancing at her for a moment, he patted her on the shoulder as he got up and said, "Good luck."

"You too."

After the city was shook for a longer than time previously, Sam called, still typing, "Muniz, damage report."

"Reports of minor structural damage coming in from all over the city, Ma'am. All personnel accounted for. Doctors Beckett and Brightman have reported an influx of severe casualties."

She called into her headset, "Lorne, how's that ATA gene coming along?"

"It's hard to focus Ma'am."

A moment later, after Lorne had forced himself to focus, Muniz called, "Colonel, drone weapons have been activated and are aimed at the enemy ships. Estimated time of destination in three… two… one… oh my God, enemy ships have destroyed the drone weapons."

His announcement was punctuated by a large quake, and Sam punched a series of buttons before once again, weapons fire flew past her. Jennifer, who had joined her long before, said, smiling in relief,

"You did it again."

Sam, relieved too, replied, "Just."

Muniz called, "You did it Colonel. Um, enemy ships have moved away."

"How's Radek doing?"

"They're having trouble with that shield."

"On my way."

She turned to Jennifer and said, "You're going to have to be the token 'me' here and wait in my office when Earth calls."

Jennifer asked, "Isn't there anything else that I can do?"

Sam shook her head, replying, "No… it's ok. Just sit in my office. Daniel's going to call and I want you to inform him of the entire situation."

"Ok… good luck."

"Thanks."

--------------------

As Sam helped Radek's team in getting the shield back online, Muniz called, "The Daedalus is approaching. ETA in three minutes."

Sam called from her console, "How come they didn't reply to our message? Send a message up."

"Yes Ma'am."

Muniz pressed a few buttons before saying into his headset, "Daedalus, this is Atlantis… status report."

Caldwell's voice came over the speakers, "All personnel present and accounted for – the mission was a success. What's wrong?"

"Uh, Sir.. .we transmitted a distress signal to your previous co-ordinates a half hour ago."

"Well we didn't receive it. Are you sure you sent it?"

"Yes Sir."

"There must have been a malfunction. What happened?"

"Major Wraith attack Sir. The city has received minor structural damage but there are reports of casualties."

"Right… ok, I'm sending the team down and we'll conduct a full diagnosis of all ship's systems. Caldwell out."

The team beamed down into the control room, and Sheppard asked, forgetting rank, "Carter?"

Sam replied, glancing up at him, still typing into her console, "Four Wraith ships, and they all had Asuran technology. It took me a while to get to an adequate dimension with the device, and the shield's offline."

Sheppard nodded and asked, "Control chair?"

"Drones were destroyed."

"Shit."

McKay wordlessly went to her and Radek's aid, getting the shield back online as Sheppard and Ronon joined Teyla in seeing if they could do anything to help elsewhere.


	28. Destroyed

_I read the extra spoilers they put out about Ark of Truth a couple of weeks back… To be honest, and I don't mean to toot my own horn, I like my version in Nuptial Preludes better than the upcoming 'canon'. Apparently the Ark is supposed to be a banned experiment by an Ancient scientist that can essentially brainwash anyone who looks into it. Oh, come on! How are they going to get round the moral and ethical implications of basically brainwashing an Ori believer into not believing in Origin any more? What is 'right'? As I had Elizabeth and Daniel mention before, 'evil' is a subjective term, the opposite to 'good', which varies according to the culture you're in. Ok, granted the faith itself is not at fault but the bastardised stuff the Priors preach is… still… It's going to take some writing on their part._

_--------------------_

Once the shield had been fixed, Sam turned to a somewhat relieved McKay, and as Radek stood behind her chair, she asked, "Right, what's going on? What did you find out?"

McKay's features froze for a brief moment as he remembered why they had boarded the Daedalus earlier, and he replied, looking increasingly panic-stricken as the rest of his team joined them, "We came across a Genii spy who heard tell of a prophecy, or so they said, being recently discovered by the Asurans, foreseeing the coming of the end of them."

He sneered, none too convincingly, and remarked, "Like that would happen anyway… I mean, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle…"

Sam rolled her eyes as McKay carried on, and she turned to Sheppard, who said, looking as sceptical as the Physicist but not as vocal, "There was something about two powerful children being born, and that they'd bring about the end of days for the Wraith and the Asurans."

Ronon gruffly added, looking frustrated, "'_Two children born within the galaxy and named after their forebears, with hair like gold and eyes like whirlpools_'. I think we wasted our time Colonel."

Sam replied with a shrug, "It isn't a waste – we have a motive for the pot-shots."

She turned to Sheppard and asked, "Did they say who created the prophecy?"

McKay snorted and remarked, "You don't seriously believe it do you?! I mean, come on… crackpots throughout history have supposedly told the future… take Nostradamus for example…"

Radek, hitching his glasses up, replied, "Well, Nostradamus' predictions correspond to events that have happened since the time of his death, particularly in the twentieth century…"

"Oh come on Radek… I mean, I could predict that… oh, I don't know… someone will get shot at in Detroit tonight."

Everyone looked at him, frowning, and Sam said, almost growling with impatience, "McKay…"

She then sighed and was about to ask Sheppard her question again, when the 'gate activated and Muniz said, "Ma'am, it's a radio transmission from Earth."

Sam replied, "Patch it through to my office – Keller's there."

Muniz nodded, and Sam called into her headset, "Jennifer, when you've finished talking to Daniel, give me a shout."

On hearing Jennifer acquiesce, Sam turned back to Sheppard, who said, knowing what she was going to ask, "There's some kind of stone pillar that they've recently discovered on an Asuran planet."

Teyla replied, "Perhaps they are hypotheses."

As McKay snorted, Sam replied, "Well, either way, we're in danger because of this. We need better defences… like beaming unstable naquadah generators aboard the incoming ships."

McKay threw his hands up and remarked, "That's got to be the first decent thing you've come out since you've been here!"

Sam retorted, "And the second decent thing would be to tape C-4 to your mouth, stuff a mini Stargate down your pants and strap you to a Wraith ship before we dial the little 'gate… if you're lucky, the 'gate will be down the back when the unstable vortex emerges… now can it unless you've got something constructive to say."

Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon and Radek smirked as McKay looked shocked and clammed up. Sam asked, looking around at the rest of the team,

"Anything else?"

Sheppard replied, "That was pretty much it…"

Sam nodded and on hearing Jennifer radio her, she radioed Carson for the number of casualties before gesturing for the team to follow her to her office.

--------------------

As Sam wished him a happy birthday and sat behind her desk, Daniel, via the radio transmission from Earth, asked, sounding very worried, "Thanks… uh, Colonel, what's going on? Doctor Keller mentioned a Wraith attack."

"Major, major Wraith attack, Jackson. There's minor structural damage to the city, but there are one-hundred and forty-three casualties, ranging from those requiring surgery to 'band-aidable'. At present, Carson and Brightman are handling them. The Wraith ships had Asuran technology…"

She sighed as she looked around at the people in her office, and he asked after a beat, "Dear God… do you need anything from Earth?"

She replied, "We've just received some intel from Sheppard's team. There's a prophecy on an Asuran planet that they've recently discovered that prophesies the coming of twins supposedly born on Atlantis that'll bring about an end of days, so to speak, to the Asurans and the Wraith. It explains the pot-shots."

She paused and continued, "I can only assume that the attacks will increase, so I'm recommending that all non-essential personnel be sent back to Earth. Atlantis isn't safe and I doubt that the Alpha site will be an improvement."

Woolsey, who had evidently been near Daniel, asked, "Is that your recommendation, Colonel?"

Glancing around at the people in front of her once more, she replied, "Yes. It's a war now. I can't guarantee their safety if they stay on Atlantis."

"Do you require any supplies?"

"I'd like to request several hundred Naquadah generators."

Daniel asked, sounding surprised and as if he had read her mind, far apart as they were, "You're going to overload them and beam them aboard the ships?"

"There isn't another option. The drone weapons have proved ineffective. I can only assume that the Daedalus would be too, although they narrowly missed the skirmish earlier. Merlin's device isn't as effective as it once was, and the city is no longer safe when submerged. I know an evacuation should only be used as a last resort, but I'm not risking it."

The linguistic part of his psyche taking hold, Daniel asked, "Did you get the prophecy yourselves?"

Sheppard replied, "No Jackson – we got the intel via a Genii spy. There's no way we're going into Asuran territory."

Daniel said, "Well, seeing as the Asurans model themselves on the Lantaeans, perhaps the prophecy is an Ancient one. Doctor Keller?"

Jennifer piped up, "Um, I haven't come across any Doc, but I haven't seen half of the things out here yet."

She glanced at McKay, who added, "There are a lot of labs out in the city."

Sam remarked, "No time like the present… we need the intel. Woolsey?"

Woolsey replied, "I will have to consult my superiors as to your request. There may be another solution… I will contact you within a couple of hours."

Daniel added, "In the mean time, you're going to need defences."

McKay, his eyes widening briefly, asked, "How about Asgard technology? We know everything we've got isn't going to work…"

Sam, intrigued, asked Daniel, forgetting her professionalism for a moment, "Daniel?"

"I'll see what I can do Sam… there's always the option of nuclear weaponry too."

McKay raised an eyebrow and remarked, "One miss and we've 'Chernobyled' an entire planet."

"It's still an option if all our other avenues are exhausted, and besides, it isn't a solar system…"

"Two-thirds… _two-thirds _of a solar system, thank you very much!"

--------------------

After the first 'gate-call' from Earth, Muniz reported as Sam emerged onto the balcony, "Colonel, the same four Wraith ships are approaching again. Their weapons are powered and…"

He paused in surprise before continuing, "Hostiles are aiming at the Daedalus… and firing…"

Sam called up to the Daedalus, "Colonel, how are you coping?"

Caldwell called back, the sounds of sparks and shouts in the background, "We're overpowered, Colonel! Phase-shifting and hyper-drive are already disabled."

Horrified, Sam shouted, "Right, I'm ordering you all to evacuate, now!"

"Copy that."

Onboard the ship as it was rocked hopelessly blast after blast, sparks leaping out of the controls and throwing various personnel about, Caldwell, bracing himself on his chair, turned to address his men, opening a channel on the ship-wide address system, "I'm giving the order to evacuate. The order is optional for all bridge officers. It was an honour knowing and serving with you – Godspeed."

Caldwell's first officer, tactical officer, communications officer, and weapons officer instantly chose to stay without a second thought, and Caldwell asked the tactical officer, Captain Luisa Fiorelli, "Fiorelli, how many people are we evacuating?"

Fiorelli replied, "One hundred and fifty-five, Sir…"

With an expression of contained worry, Caldwell said, "Beam them down to a large open space in the city… do it via the three-second fluctuation window in the city's shield."

"Aye, aye, Sir."

Caldwell's first officer, Major Quentin Adams stepped up to him and asked, "When will you be beaming down Sir?"

"After every one of our people is safe and off this ship."

Adams almost gulped and replied, forcing his features into neutrality, "Yes Sir."

Caldwell glanced around at the personnel that had chosen to stay and said, "Last chance to go…"

Every one of them remained at their posts, and he nodded, every one of them resigned to their potential fate. As they fired back to defend the city, Caldwell looked around at his men and said,

"It was nice knowing you all."

After bracing themselves from yet another series of blasts, the four personnel stood to attention, Adams shouting, "Ten hut!"

They all saluted him, Adams saying, speaking for them all, "It was an honour serving with you Sir."

Caldwell saluted back, and Sam shouted over the radio, "Colonel?! Get off the ship!"

Caldwell replied as they were shook by another blast, "We've beamed down one hundred and fifty-five personnel to the city. The personnel who have chosen to stay are Major Quentin Adams, Captain Luisa Fiorelli, Captain Peter Jacobsen, and Lieutenant Svetlana Gromova. We'll beam down when…"

Just then Jacobsen called, "Sir, beaming frequencies have been scrambled. A hostile ship is blasting us with an electromagnetic pulse. The circuitry is fried – we're lucky that we've still got life support. The weapons are off-line, the escape pods have been damaged, and the shields are down to twenty-three percent."

He glanced around at his colleagues, and continued, "One more blast and our collective geese are cooked."

Everyone closed their eyes briefly, contemplating their fate, and Caldwell relayed the information back to Sam. Caldwell then said,

"It was an honour serving with you, Colonel Jackson."

Before Sam could reply, a series of blasts brought the shield down, and as everyone glanced at each other, Gromova and Jacobsen called in the heavy, smoky silence,

"Shields are do–"

--------------------

Sam closed her eyes in a vain attempt to fight back the tears as Muniz, tearful himself, coldly said as he ripped his headset off in surprisingly contained grief, "The Daedalus has been destroyed."

Everyone glanced around at each other, scared out of their heads, and Muniz continued, "Enemy weapons are powering."

Lorne sprinted past her, and she grabbed Merlin's device before hooking it up to several Jumpers in the Puddle Jumper bay, Teyla, Jennifer, McKay and Radek at her side. Forcing herself to focus, she furiously typed into her laptop aided by the two other scientists on their own machines, their collective grief just beneath the surface.

The city was shook by several blasts, Muniz counting down the percentage of shield power left, until once again, the blasts went straight past them. Muniz called that the ships were departing.

Fighting back the tears, Sam called to Muniz, "Dial Earth…"

"Yes Ma'am."

As McKay and Radek stood around looking awkward, Jennifer and Teyla pulled Sam into a hug, the linguist tearful and shell-shocked at the loss of life and recent devastation. Shrugging slightly, the men joined in with the hug, each of the people present drawing strength from the other.

Wiping away her tears, Sam walked to her office after Muniz called that they had an open channel to Earth, and Daniel asked, "Sam?"

She closed the door and sat behind her desk, allowing her sadness to surface and she replied, her voice wavering with emotion, "Daniel, the Daedalus has been destroyed. Shortly after you called, the same four Wraith ships came back, and the Daedalus attempted to fight. Colonel Caldwell beamed down everyone but himself and four bridge officers… Major Quentin Yves Adams, Canada; Captain Luisa Fiorelli, Italy; Captain Peter Henry Jacobsen, Denmark; Lieutenant Svetlana Gromova, Russia. The ship was destroyed with all hands. The city is safe although Merlin's device took much longer to work."

A silence passed that seemed like a century before he replied, sounding shocked, "Oh God… Oh Sam, I'm so sorry to hear that. I…"

Woolsey interjected from his side, "I am sorry to hear that… Colonel Caldwell was a brave man. We were just going to call you – my superiors have authorised your request. Doctor Lee is working on preparing two hundred and fifty Naquadah generators, and several tonnes of refined Naquadah for extra purposes. The evacuation is with immediate effect."

Her voice still wavering, she replied, "Thanks… I'll just give the order."

Daniel, in an attempt to placate her in any way that he could, said, "Sam, it's going to be alright."

"I hope so Daniel otherwise…"

What she was going to say, implicit, she trailed off as more tears ran down her cheeks. Woolsey continued,

"All non-essential personnel are to be sent back to Earth… and… there will be opportunities for correspondence and visits."

"Ok. Will we be able to hold a memorial service?"

"We will have one on Earth as there is no time on Atlantis. My superiors have ordered that all 'gate activity to Atlantis is to be suspended until further notice twenty-four hours from now."

Surprised and dismayed, Sam asked, "That long?"

"Yes… in order for the necessary preparations to be made."

--------------------

With every Atlantis personnel gathered in the control room, all wearing black armbands, Sam said, her voice wavering every so often, "Atlantis began as mankind's united effort to peacefully explore another part of the universe, but it is soon to be exposed to all out war. We are at the mercy of an enemy far more powerful than ourselves, aided by an unseen enemy too cowardly to show their face. We have already got a taste of the sacrifices that had to be made.

"Colonel Steven Caldwell, United States Air Force; Major Quentin Adams, representing Canada; Captain Luisa Fiorelli, representing Italy; Captain Peter Jacobsen, representing Denmark; and Lieutenant Svetlana Gromova, representing Russia, all selflessly gave their lives in defence of this city, and join a long list of such personnel who have left us these past four-to-five years.

"Every one of them was brave and courageous to the bitter end, giving their lives for a just cause.

"… _in the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them…_"

Everyone repeated the last part of the line, and she continued, "Let us observe a minute's silence in memory of our fallen comrades, and then we'll begin the evacuation."

With Sheppard's help, she lifted a wreath to the active event horizon, the 'gate dialled to a Supergate, and she pushed it through, remembering all too vividly doing a similar thing with Jack for Daniel on Oannes. The personnel all stood to attention in the minute's silence that followed, every one of them remembering the lives that had been lost over the years.

A piper marked the end of the silence by playing the Last Post, and Sam ordered Muniz to redial the 'gate to Earth. The event horizon established, she shook hands with or saluted each personnel, civilian or military respectively, that passed her, walking through the 'gate back to Earth.

The remaining personnel after several 'gate diallings were Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon, Carson, Brightman, Radek, McKay, Lorne, Jennifer, and several other Air Force personnel. Sam walked in front of them and said, placing a hand on Sheppard's shoulder,

"Screw the ramifications, I'm not making it mandatory for you, Shep."

He shook his head and replied, his fear only showing in his eyes, "No Carter, I'll see Elizabeth but I'm coming back."

Nodding, she squeezed his shoulder before looking at Radek and McKay, saying, "You two definitely don't have to stay, but I'm leaving it up to you."

Radek replied, "Sam, I freely choose to remain here – you and Rodney will require assistance."

She smiled in thanks, and McKay gulped, adding, "I'll stay here too so as to not make Radek here a liar."

She turned to Jennifer and asked, "What about you? You don't have to stay."

Jennifer, despite being scared, replied, "I'm staying too. You need someone who knows Ancient."

Sam, looking around at the rest of the personnel, said, "I'm not making it mandatory for any of you."

Lorne and the other Air Force personnel stood to attention, the former saying, "We're staying, Ma'am."

Ronon shrugged as Teyla added, "We have no choice, Samantha, but we would choose to stay if we had another choice."

"Carson? Brightman?"

The medics didn't move an inch, Carson saying, "We're staying too, Sam. You're going to need us."

Looking around at them all, she said, "Ok… who wants to go back to Earth to see their families?"

The Earth-borns except Sheppard shook their heads, McKay making a remark about Jeannie not totally being in the know, Radek mentioning that it would take a long time to get to the Czech Republic and then to see his family, Carson joking about her family not knowing who she was, and Lorne and his men making excuses regarding the time it would take and the classified nature of their jobs. Sheppard sighed and said,

"I'll see Elizabeth then I'll be back… what about you Carter?"

"I'm staying. The leader doesn't leave."


	29. Last Chance

Earthside, Daniel's heart leapt into his mouth on seeing Sheppard walk down the ramp alone, and he asked him, "Where's Sam?"

Sheppard replied, pain in his eyes, "She chose to stay behind with the others. I'm just here to see Elizabeth. Where is she?"

"Jonas' office."

He clapped him on the shoulder before leaving, and Daniel closed his eyes briefly, fighting back the tears. After Walter had dialled the 'gate again as Lee and his team, with Siler's help, filled the 'gate ramp with souped up MALPs loaded with everything that Woolsey had mentioned, Daniel called via a radio transmission,

"Sam?"

A pause later, Sam called back, "Daniel… the leader doesn't leave. Did everyone and Shep get there alright?"

"Yes, all three hundred and seventeen. Sheppard just came through. He's on his way to see Liz. How long do you have?"

"Twenty-three hours before 'gate travel is suspended."

"I'm coming."

"Daniel?"

He silently ordered Walter to close the channel before he got Reynolds to cover for him. Throwing his BDU jacket on, Daniel then joined Woolsey in the gateroom, the IOA representative's usually cold facial expression softening on noticing Daniel's hurt-filled eyes and determined expression.

Lee and Siler, using remote controls, sent the MALPs through the event horizon, and Daniel said to Woolsey, "I should be back well before the deadline."

In a rare moment of emotion, Woolsey shook his hand and replied, "Understood, Doctor Jackson."

Daniel nodded and followed the MALPs up the ramp and through the event horizon to Atlantis.

--------------------

Despite having some warning and knowing Daniel's stubbornness, Sam was still shocked on seeing him arrive after the MALPs. As Radek and McKay went about unpacking the cargo, Daniel pulled Sam into a hug as everyone else turned away out of respect. She clung onto him and whispered,

"Daniel, I might not…"

He shushed her before they wordlessly walked out of the control room.

In the privacy of her quarters, they stood close together leaning on the balcony railing overlooking a view of the dusk rolling in over the Atlantaean skyline. She sighed and broke the silence that hung over them by saying,

"This could be it."

He closed his eyes and replied, whispering, "No Sam… I won't accept that."

She turned to face him and he straightened up as their gazes locked. She then lost the battle that she was waging within herself. The tears exploded down her cheeks in torrents and he wrapped his arms around her, resting his cheek on her hair as his own tears ran. He whispered,

"I don't want to lose you Sam… come back with me."

"Oh God Daniel… you know I can't do that. I've got to fulfil my duty."

Despite feeling selfish, he pulled back enough to cup her jaw, wiping her tears with his thumb as he replied, "I don't want to lose you."

Not meeting his gaze, she whispered, "We agreed. We agreed that this was more important than us. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have accepted…"

"No, I'm sorry. I'm being selfish."

"No…"

He gently lowered his lips to hers, whispering as she felt his tears, "Samantha, they need you here and I'm going to have to stop being so selfish. I love you so much and I know that you can do this. You've got to admit that something led you here, to this point. I know neither of us believe in destiny, but… it's like all this has been predetermined… your promotion, Liz's pregnancy, this… I think this is something that you need to do but… it's hard."

Smiling slightly through her tears, she retorted, "You're telling me."

Her voice broke and she buried her face in his shoulder as more tears ran, and she whispered, "I'm going to lose everything. I'll never see you again… I'll miss the babies growing up… graduations, Cassie… grandchildren… oh God."

Crying together, he held her tighter as he whispered, attempting to make light of the situation but failing, "You're one sixth of SG-1… we defy the odds on an almost daily basis."

Gazing up at him as she memorised every detail of his face, and he hers, she asked, "Do you hate me?"

Surprised, he replied, "What? No, of course not. You're the best person for the job. I'm just going to miss you so damn much."

She unclasped her St Christopher and said as she placed it in his hand, after taking the rings off and placing them on her ring finger, "Daniel, the odds are pretty much against me, and at some point, you're going to want to tell Cammie and James about Grandpa and Grandma Jackson. You'll need Mom's necklace."

Horrified at the thought of losing her, he shook his head, not wanting to take it, and she continued, "And they're going to want to know about their mother. Please Daniel… I've missed your birthday and…"

She burst into tears again, and he, his tears still running, took the necklace from her and wordlessly put it back around her neck. She met his gaze, surprised, and he kissed her, whispering,

"You need it, and it's yours anyway."

"Oh Daniel."

She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He kissed her back, both of them whispering declarations of love for the other.

Unbeknownst to them, Jacob, dressed in a creamy jumper and brown trousers, leant against a wall nearby, watching them with sadness in his eyes. His features set with determination, he approached them, unseen, and as they parted to gaze at each other, he placed his hand over his daughter's abdomen, a glowing white light emanating from it. He then whispered, gazing at his daughter and son-in-law before winking,

"You're gonna be fine, trust me. I'm not letting anything happen to my little Sammy. I'll leave you to it though…"

He disappeared in a flash of white light, still unseen and undetected by the Carter-Jacksons.

Daniel held her close and whispered into her ear, "Sam?"

She swallowed and whispered back, "We have twenty-two and a half hours… I'd say we're not on duty… or _I'm_ not at least… officially."

He gazed at her, his hand cupping her jaw as his thumb ran over her lips, before he kissed her once more. Still crying, they helped each other out of their clothing and lay together, kissing and touching each other. In that state of emotional vulnerability, he openly wept in her arms, as she too wept, both of them scared of what lay before them, knowing that they had no other choice.

They made love slowly and gently, neither wanting it to end but knowing all too well that they didn't have that long what with the necessary preparations needing to be made for the upcoming attack.

Both of them tingling and almost gasping with need, he gazed down at her, a question in his eyes as he made to reach into the pocket of his BDU trousers that had been cast on the floor. She swallowed and replied,

"I'm still on the injections…"

More tears falling from their eyes, he went back to kissing her, and she whispered, "We never got a chance to make Christopher."

"It doesn't matter Sam. What matters is that I'm going to lose you, and if it wasn't for the babies, I would stay here and we could go together."

"Oh Daniel…"

He drew a finger across her lips, whispering before kissing her again, "Te amo. Je t'aime. Ami tomarke balo bashi. S'agapo…"

She silenced him by around the tenth language, reaching behind his head and pulling his lips down to hers. When their lips parted, he whispered,

"Fy Gwenhwyfar…"

She frowned slightly, and as he slowly entered her, he continued, almost groaning, "Gwenhwyfar means 'White Fay', and is the Welsh version of Guinevere. _My Guinevere_."

She kissed him as they moved together, whispering, "Oh Galahad…"

--------------------

_Okie doke… Daniel says 'I love you' in Latin, French, Bengali and Greek. __Fy Gwenhwyfar __is the Welsh for either 'my White Fay' or 'my White Fairy'… gotta love that Archaeological linguist that us fic writers get to play with, translating things when he's.. uh, you know._

_Um, if you want a fic based around Daniel saying 'I love you' in a lot of languages, check out Amaranth Traces' Rising from Grace… oh yes. _

_Reviews are welcome btw – don't be shy ; )_


	30. Parting of the Ways

_Re: Atlantis season four cameos… I've got all of SG-1, and Jack coming down, but as the spoilers say that Teal'c has a cameo, T-man says more than the others except for Jack of course (well, the guy is Irish…)._

_--------------------_

After assisting Radek and McKay with preparing the Naquadah generators as well as the refined Naquadah, Sam sat next to Daniel on a precipice overlooking the city at night, his arm around her waist as she leant her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head but said nothing, neither sure of what to say.

The minutes stretched into hours, and suddenly Muniz, one of the Air Force personnel that had chosen to stay behind, interrupted the moment by calling over her headset, "Ma'am, incoming wormhole from Earth."

"Copy that. On my way."

Daniel asked in a soft voice, concerned nonetheless, "Sam?"

She nodded briefly and replied as she closed her eyes, still leaning against him, "There's a wormhole from Earth. I've got to go."

She didn't move, and he kissed her forehead. She reached up to kiss his cheek before they got up, rushing indoors.

--------------------

Arriving in the control room soon afterwards with Daniel in tow, Sam asked Muniz, "Who is it?"

Muniz replied, looking a touch baffled, "Colonel Sheppard… but the SGC's pretty slow replying."

"Ok, open the shield. We'll perform a 'gate diagnostic afterwards."

As the rest of the remaining personnel joined them, Jennifer placing a hand on Sam's shoulder, everyone gasped in surprise on seeing Jack, Cam, Teal'c, Vala, Jonas… and Sheppard emerge through the event horizon. Snapping out of her surprise and remembering her surroundings, Sam called,

"Ten hut!"

The military personnel saluted Jack, who, looking awkward, remarked, waving his hands, "_Fer cryin' out loud_ Carter… come on."

He quickly saluted back, and Daniel, frowning to cover his smile, remarked, "Nice to see you Jack."

"Likewise Daniel."

Sam smiled and said, looking round at her friends, "Sir… Cam, Teal'c, Vala, Jonas… Shep."

Sheppard remarked as he stepped to stand by her side, "Unlike these guys, I'm here to stay."

Raising her eyebrow briefly, she looked at her friends as Jack remarked, "We couldn't go suspending 'gate travel without seeing you. C'mere you."

He pulled her into a hug, and continued, "And we couldn't do it without an SG team to drag Dannyboy back home."

Daniel lowered his head briefly in a defeated gesture, attempting to hide the pain in his eyes, and Sam replied, "Thanks Sir… I… I don't know what to say… take care of the twins."

"Oh, you bet."

Each member of SG-1 then took turns to hug her. Cam patted her on the back and said, forgoing his usually chipper mood,

"We're gonna miss you, Sam."

Vala added, not smiling, "Now that certainly is an understatement from my delightful boyfriend. You'll be missed."

Teal'c put an arm around the Astrophysicist as he said, gazing at her as fondly as he could taking into account his rigorous Jaffa training, "Indeed."

Jonas hugged her again, whispering, "Oh, for sure… more than sure…"

She looked around at her friends once more and said, fighting back her tears, "I'm going to miss you guys so much."

With Teal'c and Cam's arms around her, Jack addressed the gathered personnel, "As your boss, I gotta say this… good luck and show those Wraith and Asuran scum what being born in the Milky Way means. You guys are the best of the best, and you've got a pretty damn good leader, so you'll be fine. Good luck. If any of you have letters and… whatnot to send back to Earth, give them to me. I won't pay your bills though."

After a polite ripple of laughter, everyone thanked him, some, including McKay, handing him letters to their families and loved ones. Glancing around at SG-1 and Daniel, he said,

"Right campers, we've gotta go home and leave these guys to it."

Suddenly Sam felt a sudden twinge of pain at the little time left, and, after hugging her friends again, she pulled Daniel into a tighter hug, holding him close as she whispered, "I'm going to miss you the most."

He tenderly kissed her ear, whispering back, "Same here."

"Hug the twins for me."

"You didn't have to ask."

As Jack gestured for everyone to turn away, Sam, her arms around Daniel's neck, kissed him on the lips. He kissed back before forcing himself to pull away, his pain radiating in his eyes. He hugged her again, and then Jack put an arm around his shoulders, gently and silently leading him away, knowing that if he wasn't forced, the Archaeologist wouldn't leave.

Quickly wiping away her tears, she watched as her friends assembled before the 'gate, Jack calling, "Sergeant Muniz, dial the 'gate."

As Sam fought to retain at least some of her composure, Teal'c wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head, and he said, "Fear not Samantha, you will succeed – I have no doubt."

She reached up to kiss him on the cheek, whispering, "Thank you Teal'c."

The event horizon established, Jack called back, his arm still around Daniel, "Good luck folks… and Carter? Knock 'em dead."

He said it with such conviction that she almost burst into tears then and there, and Daniel gazing at her didn't help matters. Forgoing professionalism, Sheppard put an arm around her as they all watched SG-1 and Jack walk through the event horizon, back to Earth.

The wormhole disengaged, she sighed and composed herself, asking Sheppard, "How was Liz?"

Pain flitted in his eyes as he replied, both of them straightening up, "Fine… just fine."

She briefly hugged him before saying with a sigh, regaining most of her composure, "Right folks, back to work."


	31. Comfort

Earthside, Daniel hid his emotions from his friends, intending to focus his energies on paperwork. Alone in his office, however, he folded his arms on his desk, resting his head on them before allowing his tears to come forth. He had already missed her greatly before but this was different. The odds that she wouldn't make it home were significantly higher what with the impending doom.

Outside his office, carefully looking through the window from the briefing room so as to avoid being caught doing so by the Archaeologist, SG-1, Jack and Walter watched, every one of them touched. Jonas asked, whispering as he continued to watch Daniel,

"Jack?"

Jack murmured, "Give him a minute – the guy needs it."

He continued, clapping Teal'c on the shoulder, "Come on, that guy scares me sometimes with his intellect… I wouldn't be surprised if he had gnarly powers."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, about to ask for a definition of the word 'gnarly', when they all leapt out of the way in unison as Daniel raised his head slightly to gaze at the picture of Sam on his desk.

Daniel gently touched the glass surface of the framed photo, tracing the features that he could trace in his sleep, and he whispered, "I miss you so much Sam."

His gaze moved towards the picture of Sha're that he still kept on his desk, not feeling it right to have it anywhere at home, and he continued, "I've already lost one woman I love by being half the universe away from her. I don't want to lose you too. I know you're doing good out in that other galaxy of ours but I'd rather have you here."

He closed his eyes as his ever-present pain grew, and he hid his eyes in his arms once more, sobbing.

Outside, Cam whispered, "Sir? I think now would be a good time."

Teal'c added, "Indeed. It would be best to intervene before DanielJackson progresses to a state of self-harm or self-neglect. He is fully capable of such."

Jack exhaled and asked, "Anyone wanna volunteer?"

Everyone, including Walter, looked at him, and he sighed, remarking, "These psychic powers are scary. Right, Teal'c, Mitchell, watch my six."

Vala retorted with an innocent expression as he straightened up, resolute, and walked to the office door, "That's not a bad thing."

Cam glared at her briefly as Jack walked straight into the office, and everyone's attention was drawn back to the window once again.

Inside, Daniel, surprised and embarrassed, straightened up, quickly drying his eyes, and he asked as Jack stood, fiddling with the minimal artefacts on the desk, "Jack?"

Jack, not meeting his gaze, asked, "You wanna talk?"

Daniel sighed, replying as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "I'll be fine Jack… I just need to be able to focus on…"

He trailed off as he closed his eyes, resting his forehead in his hands, and he whispered, "I miss her, Jack, and I'm going to lose her."

Perching on the edge of the desk, facing him, Jack said, ruffling his hair, "You and Carter both know that she has to do this. The fact that they chose her of all people means that the IOA know that she's gonna kick ass. She was gone for three months last time and she whupped Wraith ass big time… This time… oh boy, she'll be the talk of the galaxy, just like we were back in the day. Come on… screw the paperwork… you need to rest."

"But Jack, it's only afternoon. I know it was night over in Atlantis…"

"Don't give me that – you need to rest, and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. We'll swing by Jonas' office to get Doctor Weir and then we're going home."

Sighing and lowering his head, his eyes closed, Daniel replied, "Ok Jack."

"That's my Archaeologist."

When Daniel stood, Jack pulled him into a hug and whispered against his hair, "Hey, I know I'm not the most open of guys… that being as much of an understatement as you missing Carter, but anytime you need to talk… _anytime_… I'm here for you. Carter may be thousands of light years away but you're not alone – you've got me, and you've got SG-1, and we'd do anything for each other."

Smiling slightly, Daniel whispered against Jack's shoulder, "I know… thanks Jack."

--------------------

Jack exclaimed as he and Elizabeth sighted Daniel joining them on the journey to the surface, carrying a sizeable folder, "Jesus Daniel, you being the Philologist, I'd've thought you would've known what 'rest' meant!"

He turned to Elizabeth and asked, "He doesn't know what it means, does he?!"

Elizabeth, smiling slightly and hiding her own pain in the process, remarked, "I don't think Daniel Jackson and the word 'rest' have ever been in the same sentence unless they're with the words 'once in a blue moon or when he's close to death'."

"That sounds like him…"

He returned his attention to the now flustered Archaeologist, and asked, "Well? What's your excuse for taking work home?"

Daniel replied with a shrug, "SG-1 brought back a tablet from a weird mission yesterday and Jonas didn't get a chance to look at it yet… I didn't think a hobby counted as work."

As they walked to the lift, Jack remarked, clapping him on the shoulder, "With you, work, hobby, there's a difference?!"

Elizabeth said, "I heard about that mission… why did they ask Colonel Mitchell whether he was the guardian?"

Daniel shrugged, replying as the doors opened, "They could've mistaken his identity."

Jack added, "Or they were stoned back to the sixties."

"Jaaack."

--------------------

Putting the folder away in a drawer, Daniel channelled his energies and grief into cooking dinner, despite Jack and Cassie's protests, but the General was stunned into silence on seeing how the Archaeologist cooked when he was particularly upset. Jack quietly asked Cassie, both them holding the twins as Elizabeth rested upstairs,

"Did he always do that?"

Cassie nodded, replying as James pulled her hair, "I only noticed it after Sam first left… apparently he's being doing it since college, although back then it was in his sleep. Remember when I was talking to Elizabeth in the kitchen that night and he made pasta? He did it like this."

"Holy… that's scary."

"I'll say."

Cassie lifted James up and as he giggled, she smiled and said, "Come on, let's go build a Duplo tower bigger and better than Uncle Jack's and Cammie's…"

She gently kissed him on the nose before looking at Jack challengingly. He raised his eyebrows and said to a belligerent looking Cammie, "We'll kick their backsides, won't we Cammie?! Let's show them what an Air Force General and a genius can do."

Jack stuck his tongue out at Cassie and James, Cammie shouting, "FUBAR," and James poked his tongue out, Cassie whispering, admonishing the General,

"Jack… you're not supposed to teach the little man how to do that! Daniel's gonna freak."

"Pfft, he's freakin' anyway. Ain't that right, Cammie?"


	32. Cat out of the Bag

Over on Atlantis, the preparations made, the personnel tried to keep busy, staying ready for a potential attack. They had planned to sleep in shifts, aware that neither the Wraith nor the Asurans would care for Lantaean time, but as no-one could actually sleep, they all resumed keeping busy.

A few uneventful nights later as Sheppard perfected his backswing, Ronon and Teyla sparring, Lorne painting, Jennifer, McKay and Zelenka in the disused Ancient labs while Carson and Brightman took the opportunity to perform a diagnostic on the medical bay computer system, Sam went to the library room, hoping for a few answers.

Activating the hologram, who proceeded to talk to her so condescendingly that it took all of her self-control not to brandish her sidearm she asked, standing behind the podium, "Is there a prophecy about… um, two powerful children who will be born on Atlantis?"

The hologram of Morgan Le Fay replied, staring right past her, "No entries could be found – please be more specific."

Sighing, Sam said, remembering what Ronon had said, "_'Hair like sunshine and eyes like whirlpools_."

There was a brief pause before a stream of data appeared, flitting past her, around the hologram as the hologram replied, "The Lantaeans that inhabited the city of Atlantis believed that one day two children would be born in the city, who would herald a golden age of peace within the galaxy. Many believed it to be a myth."

Surprised, Sam asked, "Do you have any more information? Um, how about their parents?"

Throwing up a screen, the hologram replied, "It has long been posited that the parents would be the associates of Ameraudur, with whom Myrddin had a close affiliation. They will be brave knights of the home realm, and are the chosen ones."

Surprised further on recognising Arthur's and Myrddin's alternate names, Sam asked, "Are there any pictures?"

"Yes… a Lantaean piece of art entitled 'The Duality' by Lantaean citizen Ganos Lal."

Sam's eyes widened in surprise on recognising the Ancient name of Morgan Le Fay, and she watched as another holographic screen was thrown up, showing a large painting of a fair Madonna-like woman holding two fair-haired babies. She frowned slightly as she looked at the picture before asking,

"Is there any information on the mother?"

"The mother of the Duality will be called the 'Listener', and she will be a warrior from the home realm."

"Listener?"

"Affirmative."

"What about the father?"

"No entries could be found – please be more specific."

She sighed in frustration, and asked, "Is there any information about the father of the two children… the, uh, Duality?"

Another picture appeared of a strikingly handsome man with cerulean eyes and light brown hair, and the hologram replied, "His name is Galahad the Pure, guardian of the Duality."

Her jaw nearly hit the floor on hearing the name, and she asked, "Are you sure?"

"No entries could be found – please be more specific."

Sighing, close to anger, she asked, "Repeat the last search."

"His name will be Galahad the Pure, guardian of the Duality."

"Oh dear God…"

"No entries could be found – please be more specific."

Hitting her forehead with her hand, she called into her headset, "Jennifer, McKay, Radek, get yourselves to the library room. I've just found something."

Jennifer called back, gradually getting excited as she had sounded lost at first, "Oh boy Sam… so have we… We're going to have to rendezvous in the… uh, briefing room or Atlantaean equivalent."

"Get on up to Liz's office – I'll meet you there."

--------------------

Sam relayed what she had learnt to McKay, Radek and Jennifer. The three of them looked confused at 'Galahad', and she quickly explained that Merlin and Artur had both referred to him as that, and that she called him that from time to time. As she blushed slightly, McKay remarked,

"You call him Galahad? Come on, the guy put the twins in you…"

Sam rolled her eyes, Radek hitched his glasses up in embarrassment, and Jennifer said, "Rod, pure doesn't have to mean 'sexually pure'… it can mean 'pure of heart' or 'pure of spirit', which is Doctor J down to a 't'."

Sam smiled, remembering that Daniel had said something similar about the definition of 'pure', and she asked as Sheppard, Ronon and Teyla joined them, "What did you guys find out?"

McKay huffed, and Radek glanced at Jennifer, who said, "There are some tablets…"

She picked one up and continued, "There's something about a Duality who, uh, will bring about a golden age of peace in the galaxy. The Duality is supposed to be a set of twin babies, the first twin babies of the Guardian and the Listener… actually, the Guardian is also given as 'the one whom will be judged by a divine power'."

Shocked, Sam said quickly, "Daniel means 'God is my Judge'!"

As everyone else looked surprised, Jennifer nodded, and asked, "Do you know what Samantha means?"

Sam shook her head, and Jennifer continued, "It's Hebrew for 'Listener'."

A dumbfounded silence descended on the room, before McKay remarked, "Ok, Jackson and Jackson are ruled out – they've already got twins and they were born on Earth."

Sam closed her eyes before saying as Carson, Brightman and Lorne entered, "Shep, close the door."

Everyone else looked at her, curious as Shep did as he was told, and Sam said with a sigh, "I suppose you guys should know… Daniel is James' mother."

Everyone else but Brightman exchanged a series of sceptical glances, and she continued, "He really is. Doctor Brightman?"

Brightman nodded as everyone looked at her, and she said, "I was there. Doctor Jackson gave birth via C-section. I was the attending Obstetrician to the Colonel when she went into labour a few minutes after Doctor Jackson."

Everyone else was dumbfounded once again, and Sheppard asked, looking increasingly confused and as freaked out as the rest, "How… how did it happen? I thought he had a tumour."

Sam shook her head, replying, "That was the cover story. We were made to drink something on that Amazon planet that not only bypassed my contraceptive hormone, but also made him conceive too. We had to keep it a secret so as to prevent the NID from experimenting on him."

As the news settled in, McKay exclaimed, "That's impossible. For one, us men don't have fallopian tubes or…"

Carson, pensive, piped up, "Ah, ah, ah, Rodney… in our jobs, never say never. It's quite possible, theoretically."

"Yeah, well, _theoretically_, Michael Jackson's human but…"

Sheppard raised his eyebrows briefly, and Carson continued, smiling slightly, "Given sufficient levels of Oestrogen and Progesterone, and a series of adjustments, it is possible. Wow."

Jennifer asked, still surprised, "He went Junior?"

Sam nodded, replying, "We joked about that quite a bit. Anyway, technically the twins aren't twins but siblings but… you know…"

After a pause, Radek asked, "So… the Guardian and the Listener could be you and Doctor Jackson?"

Sam shook her head and replied, "I'm on contraceptive injections… _and_ I'm a bit too old, so if the hormones failed, I doubt whether I would conceive anyhow."

McKay grimaced, retorting, "Too much information there."

Sheppard remarked with a smirk, "Why, Rodney, I would have thought that you'd love that sort of imagery."

"That's enough, thank you very much."

Earning a grateful smile from McKay, Jennifer said, "So… about this prophecy. Those guys up there think you're going to have babies but you're not… how do we tell _them_ that?"


	33. Working Late

Daniel, sitting up in bed late one night with the bedside lamp on, looked through the file that he had brought home after being unable to sleep without medical intervention. He frowned slightly as he worked his way through it, and Jack, who had tried to go to sleep but was unable due to the Archaeologist's lack of slumber, sat up and remarked, squinting in the darker half of the room,

"Daniel… I know you can't tell the difference between work and a hobby, but surely you know the difference between either of those and sleep!?"

Daniel replied distractedly, rubbing his neck with the eraser end of his pencil, "Uh, sorry Jack… couldn't sleep."

"Why don't you open your birthday present?"

The pain suddenly visible in his face, Daniel closed his eyes and replied, "I can't… I'm trying to live with Sam being gone… if… if I opened it, I'm going to be reminded how much I miss her and would rather that she was here instead of out there in a war zone."

Fighting back his barrage of emotions that threatened to come to the surface, he returned his attention to his work, and Jack said, gesturing with his hand, "Well, why don't you try Carolyn's pills again? You really do need to get some sleep."

"I hate those things Jack… it makes me feel as though I'm passing out."

The Archaeologist paused and said, "Hello…"

Jack's interest instantly piqued, he sat up and cautiously asked, "Daniel?"

Daniel scribbled a few notes, and Jack continued, "Come on, it's rude to keep the elderly waiting."

Daniel looked up briefly and retorted, "You're only ten years older than me. That's hardly elderly."

"Pfft, that makes me fifty-four and you know it. Come on, out with it."

Daniel's face lit up and he replied, his voice gradually growing with excitement, "This is amazing. Apparently two babies are due to be born on a distant world – it doesn't say where – the children of the Guardian and the Listener, two warriors from the home realm – whatever that is. Um… the babies will herald the coming of a new age of peace. It says here that they'll have 'hair like sunshine and eyes like whirlpools', which could mean that the parents are fair. It's apparently an Ancient prophecy but the part of the tablet that I assume would have the place of birth has worn away…"

He looked across at a confused Jack and continued, "They – the natives of that planet – asked Mitchell if he was the Guardian. Their culture was based not on anything from Earth but that of the Alterans, the pre-ascended Ancients. Do you know what this means?"

"If I say 'yes', will you go to sleep?!"

"Jack… this could mean… oh dear God…"

Daniel's features changed noticeably as he became shocked, and Jack asked, concerned, "Daniel?"

"Jack… the Listener…"

"What about him?"

"Her… Samantha means 'Listener' in Hebrew… well, actually more Aramaic."

Frowning slightly, he read through the rest of the tablet, and he blanched. Jack remarked,

"Come on Daniel, it's just some cultural hoo-hah."

Daniel replied in a quiet, controlled voice, "Jack… I don't think a cultural hoo-hah would mention Galahad being the Guardian. It all fits. It mentions 'one who is to be divinely judged' as another name for the Guardian, which is the definition of Daniel…"

He continued, his speech speeding up in excitement, "If this is anything to go by, the conception of the twins… our twins probably wasn't accidental. The Ancients could have made it happen…"

As Jack looked increasingly sceptical, Daniel said, "Well, think about it. Why, out of all the planets in the galaxy or even this galaxy, did you guys find me on Vis Uban, a planet which Jonas had a strong feeling about? Jonas couldn't have known that I was there."

Jack, hiding his old pain surrounding Daniel's 'death', replied, "I'm betting Oma had a hand in it."

"You see Jack! The Ancients may have known in advance that we were going to defeat the Ori, and the twins marked the beginning of that, so to speak."

Jack replied, making quote marks with his fingers around the words 'twins' and 'heralded', "Yeah, but the _twins_, who aren't really twins, were born a year and ten months before you wandered off to the Ori galaxy. Their birth hardly _heralded_ the age of peace… I mean, come on… Ok, that… thing over there just so happens to mention your name and Carter's, but it's a coincidence."

"Maybourne's planet had Ancient prophecies on a pillar outside of the village."

"Oh fer cryin' out loud, we don't know whether they were even real… the guy could've gotten lucky… you know what that rat bastard's like."

Daniel sighed and said, "I really do think that this is worth checking out… if the NID or the Trust get wind of this, Cammie and James' lives could be danger. I'm still not sure whether they're completely out of the loop over who James really is."

"Daniel… give it a rest. You need to sleep – stop worrying yourself ragged about your kids. They're fine. And besides, they're not gonna get wind of that tablet of yours what with you being the only one who can read Ancient."

"You're wrong Jack – there are three other Ancient linguists apart from Doctor Keller."

"Now you tell me! Look… you're safe, ok? You're safe. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you or the twins."

Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed and replied, "If anything does happen, it'll be in a way in which you can't do anything. I don't know what this could mean… I could be on the verge of something huge."

"Daniel, if you don't go to sleep, you're gonna start hallucinating. Take those pills or I'll do something about it myself. I'm supposed to be looking out for you but I can't if you're just gonna worry yourself to death… or a death."

"Jack…"

"No buts, take one of those damn pills before I bust some Special Forces moves on you."

Sighing in resignation, Daniel took his glasses off and put his work away in the nightstand, saying, "It does need looking into."

"Sleep first – work tomorrow."

Daniel reached for the pills and, taking one with a sip of water, switched the light off, whispering as he grew drowsy, "'night Jack."

"'night Daniel. I'll apologise in the morning."


	34. Erase, Rewind

Sam was on the way to the medical bay with Carson for a blood test after the recent revelations, when suddenly everything, including them, froze. Jacob appeared in a flash of white light along with a glowing elderly woman. He turned to her and said,

"Selmak, we can't have them finding out yet."

"I am aware of that, JacobCarter, but is this not, how you would say, _pushing things_? They will find out soon enough."

"Yes, but the timing has to be right."

Selmak replied with a look of disdain, "Indeed…"

Jacob sighed, remarking, "Look, if you didn't want to come, you could've hung out with the Others."

Selmak threw him a withering look so Jacob rolled his eyes before saying to the still figure of Sam, walking around her and Carson, "You can't know yet, so for the present, there is nothing to know. There will be no blood test... and no-one's gonna suspect a thing. I'll see you soon, Sammy."

With a wave of his hand, he and Selmak disappeared from view and Atlantis returned to normal. Sam glanced at Carson and asked,

"Are you going to attempt to reach McKay again?"

"No… he'll be alright soon enough though… I still can't believe that Daniel got knocked up though."

Sam smiled slightly, replying, "Me too. You should've heard the jokes back then… Look, I'm sorry about the lies…"

"Sam, it's ok, you had to do what you had to do. Quite frankly, I'm excited about it. I mean, it's always been a thing in theoretical medicine but obviously something we haven't been able to try out…"

They smiled, and Sam asked, a little confused, "Where were we going again?"

Carson, confused, asked, "_We_ were going somewhere? I thought you were just walking along with me… Hmm, you want to go for lunch? We could maybe rope Rodney in if he's been out-weirded by you and Daniel than he is with me."

Grinning, Sam remarked, "It could work out for you after all."

"I'll say… I'm going to send a thank you card to that husband of yours."

--------------------

As Carson, Teyla and Sam had a light lunch, talking about the recent developments, Muniz called over Sam's headset, "Colonel… fifteen Wraith ships approaching. Energy signatures show a stronger concentration of Asuran technology. ETA in five minutes."

Snapping into military mode, Sam ran out of the mess with Carson and Teyla, and eventually Sheppard and Ronon hot on her heels. In the control room, some of the Air Force personnel were already lugging Naquadah generators with Radek and McKay, and Sam joined them in. McKay asked,

"I assume you reverse the input and output loops? I ask because we don't usually work with these things in the Pega…"

"McKay, no snarkiness – it doesn't become you. Yes, reverse the loops."

She turned to Muniz and called, "Get ready."

"Aye, aye Ma'am."

"Radek, get Merlin's device and hook it up to the power supply for the city, isolating the relays for the control room and the chair. Those ships will have adapted to most of the frequencies and we're going to need a _lot_ of power."

Radek replied before rushing from the control room, "Yes Sam."

Teyla asked, "Is there anything that I can do, Samantha?"

Sam replied as she struggled with a screw driver in one of the generators, "Sorry Teyla, not unless we get a ground assault… that reminds me – Lorne, get ready in that chair in case they've forgotten about it."

As Lorne sprinted from the control room, he called, "Sure Ma'am."

"Sheppard, Ronon, Teyla, stand by."

The first three generators ready, she called to Muniz, "Sergeant, now!"

Without a word, Muniz pressed a series of buttons, and beamed the generators out, attempting to reach three ships. He called as they appeared to beam out but stayed in their positions,

"Colonel, they've got shields."

Sam rushed to the console and read the screen, saying, "They're oscillating… we could use the three second window. It looks like Ancient technology."

She typed furiously as McKay called, gulping, "Sam… did I mention that I prefer _not_ to die by being demolecularised into my constituent protons, neutrons and electrons? It's just one of those things… apart from that, I'm fine…"

Sam rolled her eyes and said to Muniz, "Now."

He pressed a button and three generators were beamed out. Sam called,

"Get the shield back up."

Despite the shield being in place, the entire place shook for several seconds. Sam called as she and McKay resumed fiddling with the rest of the generators,

"Damage report."

"None to the city. Three hostile ships have exploded. The remaining twelve are powering up weapons. Several drone weapons have been fired by have been destroyed prior to impact."

"I really hope Radek gets a safe frequency. Beam these out."

She gestured to four generators, and Muniz typed for a couple of seconds before saying as the generators didn't disappear, "Ma'am, they've somehow manage to compensate for the three second window… attempting beam out again."

Once more, there was a flash of white light as he attempted to beam them out, but when the light disappeared, the generators were still there. Everyone muttered some sort of obscenity under their breath as Sam typed furiously into a console. Throwing her hands down in defeat, she asked Muniz,

"How about the Supergate?"

"That should be ok, but we could damage it."

McKay remarked, looking pale, "Much better than us being damaged."

Sam nodded to Muniz who beamed the unstable generators away, and when they disappeared, they breathed a sigh of relief before being interrupted by the city being shook violently. Sam called over her headset,

"Radek!?"

Radek replied, "They have adapted to every possible frequency, Sam. I am afraid that I can do little more. I am sorry."

Closing her eyes briefly and sighing, Sam turned to McKay and asked, knowing his talent of pulling brilliant ideas out of his head during moments of impending doom, "Seeing as we're goners for sure if we don't do anything, do you have anything?"

He shook his head, surprised that he couldn't think of anything, and everyone was thrown off-balance by a series of blasts that shook the city. Sam called after glancing around at everyone in a visible check,

"Damage report."

Muniz replied after getting back on his seat, "Structural damage to the city, amounting to…"

He paused in surprise before saying, bewildered, "There's a Puddle Jumper. Energy signature shows modified Asgard technology."

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise, and as Radek and Lorne rejoined them, Muniz continued, surprised, "Unidentified Jumper is powering up weapons and… oh God, it's firing upon the hostile ships. Five, six… all ships have been destroyed."

As everyone else exchanged looks of relief, surprise and consternation, Sam pressed a button and called, "Unidentified Jumper, please identify yourself."

There was a pause before a female voice in a very strong Southern accent called back, "Lieutenant Terson reporting for duty, Ma'am! Requesting permission to dock."

Sam asked Muniz quietly, "Does that name ring a bell?"

Muniz, typing into the personnel database, replied, "No Ma'am. No record of a Lieutenant Terson here or at the SGC, and the signature of the Puddle Jumper matches one from Earth."

Surprised, Sam called back, "Ok, transmitting co-ordinates now, then I want some answers, Lieutenant."

As she rushed off to the Puddle Jumper bay with everyone, McKay asked, "Are you sure that this is the right thing to do? This could be a trap or a… a… something else that I haven't thought of."

Sheppard clapped him on the back, remarking, "You've lost your touch, Rodney."

Teyla asked, "Rodney is right – how can we be sure that she is harmless?"

Sam replied, "Well, she did just save our collective skins."

Jennifer smiled as Lorne replied, "Good point, Ma'am."

They arrived in the bay, the military personnel with their sidearms at the ready, and as the door of the new Puddle Jumper opened, they gaped in surprise, their sidearms forgotten on seeing a tall young woman with long blonde hair, SGC combat gear and striking green eyes, who said, nervous at the attention,

"Hi."

She approached a stunned Sam and said, saluting her, "Lieutenant Terson, reporting."


	35. A New Face

Their weapons lowered, Sam asked, noting how Terson looked around at everyone with a surprised expression, "Ok, who are you? There's no record of you on the personnel databases, and the Jumper matches one from Earth."

Her gaze moving back to Sam's, the Astrophysicist was startled by how clear the green eyes were, how very eerily familiar, Terson replied in that same Southern accent, "Lieutenant Janet Terson but my friends call me CJ."

She seemed to shake herself as her gaze drifted to the assembled personnel once more, and Sheppard asked, "Who are you, really? You're wearing SGC combat gear."

Terson looked a touch startled and Sam, realising how intimidating they must look, said, "Come on Airman, let's go to my office."

Everyone followed as Sam led the Lieutenant away, Teyla quietly remarking to Sheppard, "If I am not mistaken, she greatly resembles Daniel Jackson, except for the colour of her eyes and hair."

Sheppard replied, "We'll get Carson to have a look."

--------------------

In her office, with everyone else but Sheppard and Jennifer outside, Sam, sat behind her desk, said, "I want some answers out of you. Who are you? Where are you from?"

Terson's gaze drifted to the pictures on the desk, and she asked, feigning distraction, "Are they your family?"

A touch exasperated at the change of subject, Sam decided to play along, and she replied, her expression softening, "That's my husband Daniel, and the twins, Cameron and James."

Sam noticed Terson's expression change slightly but she quickly covered it up, and the Astrophysicist said, "First, your name."

"Lieutenant Janet Terson."

"Date of birth?"

"February 14th 1989."

"That makes you twenty."

Terson swallowed, replying, "Yes Ma'am."

Sam said, a little firmer, "I say you're not telling the truth. Your age aside, if you're a serving combat officer, your hair wouldn't be down if it was at that length."

Terson stared right back at her, replying, "It was a long ride, Ma'am."

Sheppard said, "Well, you're gonna have to get tested out by Carson to ensure that you're not a little spy."

As Jennifer looked on, concerned, Terson, getting agitated but frowning to conceal it, pinched the bridge of her nose and remarked, still in the Southern accent, "If I was a spy, why, oh why would I shoot out your biggest enemy?"

Sam replied, a touch startled as she was reminded of Daniel, "See, I'm not too clear on that. You just appear out of nowhere – thank you by the way – and expect us to take your story at face value. In fact, we only know your name, rank and date of birth, and that isn't a given."

Terson closed her eyes briefly before saying in a forcibly calm voice, "Fine, check me out."

--------------------

A series of medical exams later, and removal of her contact lenses, Terson, with striking cerulean eyes, sat waiting in the medical bay as Carson briefed Sam and Sheppard, looking baffled, "Ok, it's really, really strange. Despite strongly reminding me of Daniel Jackson, her blood and DNA came back as model examples of blood and DNA. I mean, she has the alleles for the genetic characteristics she physically exhibits but it looks generic… it's…"

Sheppard asked, "Strange?"

"Worse than that…"

Sam, confused, asked, "She's a robot?"

"Nope, it's like she's shrouded her own DNA and blood. It's kind of creepy, to be honest."

"I'll say. I'll go talk to her. Shep?"

Sheppard asked, "Carter?"

"You can do the token Cop thing and lean against the wall."

"Always good when my combat expertise is used for this. Lead on…"

In the medical bay, as Sheppard leant against a wall, briefly wishing that he had a toothpick to look tough, Sam sat opposite Terson and said, "Lieutenant, I think now would be a good time to tell us who you really are."

Terson shook her head and replied, "I can't tell you, but I can tell you that something is supposed to happen and I'm here to ensure that it will. In… in my time, those fifteen ships destroyed the city and you guys barely got out alive."

Surprised, Sam asked, "You're from the future, but how…?"

"I'll get absorbed into the time stream when I'm done. I've changed events already."

Sam said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder, "If that's the case, you can tell me who you are."

Terson shook her head and replied, "Not yet, Ma'am. I will tell you but not now. It's for your own good."


	36. The Zoo

Around a month later, as Elizabeth noticeably gained weight and was rather depressed about it, she along with SG-1, Daniel, Jack, mini-Jack, Cassie and the twins finally got a chance to go to the Zoo, as the Archaeologist had promised his children a month previously.

He was still mulling over what he had learnt a month previously and wondered how much truth was in it. Jack, exasperated at the younger man's excessive worry, decided that a change of scenery was in order to distract him, and organised the en masse day out.

As everyone but Jack and Elizabeth spread out to explore the Zoo, Daniel, holding Cammie in his arms as James reached up to hold onto the railing, looked down into the Penguin enclosure, quietly talking to the twins. James, a little impatient as he peeked over the edge of the wall, grizzled as Cammie said, excited,

"Peng'in."

Daniel smiled slightly before saying, looking down at James, "James, wait 'til I put your sister down – I'm not as strong as Mommy."

He made to put Cammie down but she shook her head and whined, "No Daddy… wanna see Peng'in."

Jack swung into action before James saw fit to bawl and he picked the now giggling boy up, and remarked, "No-one is as strong as Mommy, although methinks that Daddy's putting himself down."

James grinned, saying, "Silly Daddy."

Daniel rolled his eyes as Jack smirked before turning the little boy so he could see the Penguins. Elizabeth, leaning on the railing on the other side of Daniel from Jack, remarked, raising an eyebrow briefly,

"They just eat, walk around, reproduce, excrete and die. They don't have anything to worry about… no rent, bank loans, no silly complications that us humans have."

Daniel replied with a sigh, "That's for sure, but living in a restricted enclosure isn't something I'd like to do."

"Well, taking into account Plato's Cave analogy, we could quite possibly be in a restricted enclosure of our own."

As he prevented Cammie from trying to climb into the enclosure, he replied, "That's for sure, especially taking into account our sizes relative to our wider surroundings… How are you feeling?"

She said with a sigh as she watched the Keeper throw fish at the Penguins, making the twins and surrounding children gasp and/or laugh, "Fat."

He gently squeezed her shoulder with a free hand and replied, "Liz, you're not fat… and you've got about five months left. You'll be fine."

"I know… I'm glad the morning sickness is gone – that was really icky."

With a knowing smile, he replied, "Tell me about it. Come on, let's check out the lions."

Cammie instantly beamed, squirming in her father's hold as she said, "Lions!!!"


	37. Awakening

_Now that the story's heating up, I feel the need to reference a couple of stories and/or works that I'm thinking of lest I inadvertently plagiarise. Ok… let's see… MaureenT's What You Already Know, Marcus S. Lazarus' Child of the Ancients, AvengingAngel101's No-One Gets Left Behind series, and of course, Charmed. The first three can be found via My Favourite Authors, and the latter can be found on Living TV on most days of the week (that is if you happen to be British… with cable, digital or Sky)._

_--------------------_

After dinner later that evening, after which the party went their separate ways, the twins to bed, Jack, alone downstairs with the Archaeologist, attempted to get his friend to down some beers to mellow him out. Daniel, his eyes closed as he rested his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees, remarked,

"Jack, stop trying to get me drunk."

Taking a swig from his own bottle, Jack retorted, "I have hope, Dannyboy. Come on, you really do need to chill. I haven't seen you smile properly since Carter was here."

"There's your answer."

"Look, she's gonna be away for a while. Now you know how Sara must have felt when I was gone. I know how hard it is to be the one left behind – I had to watch you guys go through the 'gate after I got promoted the first time. Ok, maybe I've got an idea, although I suppose Walter could count as kid… a very well-behaved and organised kid…"

Daniel laughed briefly, an empty almost scornful laugh, and Jack, his eyebrows raised briefly, handed him an open bottle, saying, "Come on…"

Daniel, his eyes still closed, shook his head, but Jack persisted, nudging him with it, hoping to get through the younger man's thick walls and get him to take a drink. Daniel instinctively struck out, accidentally pushing the bottle out of Jack's grip.

As Jack looked on in surprise and some dismay at the gesture, Daniel opened his eyes, having realised what he had done, and he reached out a hand before the bottle hit the carpet. A white light emanated from his palm and the bottle hovered above the floor, both men looking increasingly shocked. Daniel, forcing himself to be calm as Jack tentatively moved his hand beneath the bottle, stared at the bottle in disbelief and fear before closing his eyes and clenching his fist, again instinctively.

To both their surprise, the bottle swiftly moved to the coffee table, landing with a gentle thud. Jack exhaled slowly, and Daniel, biting back his growing fear, asked quietly as he met the older man's gaze,

"Jack?"

His gaze then went to his hand in the vain hope of some kind of answer for what they had both witnessed. Jack said, still shocked,

"You just… yeah, I saw it… I think… You?"

Daniel nodded quickly, replying, "I saw it too… If… if it was just you…"

"… you could put it down to the beer but…"

"… I haven't touched a drop."

They met each other's gaze, scared and unsure of what had happened, and what it could mean. Jack broke the silence by saying,

"You could… you could try it out again."

"Yeah."

Daniel's gaze moved to the television remote and not caring what Jack thought, he raised his palm and focussed, concentrating on the object. Jack whispered,

"You… you didn't need to concentrate when you did it before."

Speaking slowly as he channelled his energies, "I, uh, I think it was an instinct or something."

A light once more emanated from his palm and he fought to maintain his focus. They simultaneously gasped on seeing the remote levitate a good six inches above the arm of the couch, and the Archaeologist clenched his fist. Jack nearly leapt out of his seat when it landed on his knee, and he turned to look at the younger man who now looked drained and pale.

His concern for his friend overriding everything else, Jack asked, "Daniel? You ok?"

Daniel closed his eyes, replying in a small voice, "I think I overdid it… I just need to lie down."

"Nuh-uh, you're going to see Carolyn. Come on, I'm driving."

Daniel looked at his friend in disbelief, frowning as he said, "Jack… you're drunk."

"I only had one…"

"Look, I'll drive – I feel a little better and it's far better to take our lives in our hands with me driving rather than you."

Jack, smirking, remarked, "Why Daniel, I'm insulted."

As Daniel got up, closing his eyes as a headache set in, he retorted, groaning, "So you should be."

--------------------

Daniel, hooked up to several machines in the Infirmary, closed his eyes in pain as Carolyn began to explain to Jack, Teal'c and Jonas what was wrong. Noticing this, she asked,

"Daniel?"

He winced, whispering, "Softer… sorry."

Carolyn lowered her voice, and he added, "Softer, not quieter… the frequency of your voice is painful right now."

She replied softly, "Ah, sorry."

She turned to a concerned Jack, Teal'c and Jonas and continued, "There appears to have been some changes made in his brain chemistry, evidence of a higher brain function in his brain waves, and these changes are ongoing. He now has the Ancient gene, which he didn't before, and it appears that the gene count is increasing –"

Jack interrupted her with a raised hand and asked, concerned, "What does it mean?"

He waved in apology as Daniel winced, and Carolyn replied with a shrug, "I don't know Sir. It appears that he's changing, although into what, I'm not sure. At the moment, he's experiencing a hangover, so to speak, although the tests showed no traces of alcohol in his system."

She raised an eyebrow at Jack, which the General raised his eyebrows briefly at, and Daniel asked, wincing a lot less, "Wait, I've got the Ancient gene?"

"Yes."

He nodded slightly and asked, "Could it be that the Ancient knowledge within my brain is leaking?"

"I don't know. I haven't had any experience in this sort of thing. What we'll have to do is keep you in overnight and monitor you. You were a little dehydrated after your little magical powers stint."

Jack, something falling into place, asked, forgetting to keep his voice soft, "Wait one cotton-pickin' minute – you're not ascending, are you?! Seeing as Carter isn't here to kick your ass, as her former CO, I've got a right to do it myself."

Daniel closed his eyes briefly but found that it didn't hurt as much as it had previously, and he replied, "I'm not ascending Jack. I was well aware the last time of what was happening, and I can tell you that I'm not ascending… so you're going to have to hold off on that threat."

Teal'c said, "The threat still remains, DanielJackson."

Jonas glanced at the Jaffa in surprise, and Jack remarked, "Hey, I thought the whole glowy thing was an honourable thing in Jaffa tradition."

Teal'c regarded an unflinching Jack with a cold expression that would have scared half the SGC's burliest Marines into hiding, and he replied, "True, but to paraphrase Samantha after DanielJackson ascended, I would rather have him here."

Jack and Jonas exchanged a glance, and Daniel asked, surprised, "When was this?"

Teal'c replied, "On the way to rescue Heimdall from his laboratory. She said that she did not care that what you had done was of cosmic significance – she would rather have had you back."

As Daniel looked increasingly surprised, Jack exhaled, and Jonas said, "Sam sure did miss you that year."

Jack added, "I'll say…"

He turned to look at Carolyn and asked, "So… he's ok?"

Carolyn replied, "Well, it depends on your definition of 'ok', General. As I said, we'll keep him in overnight for observation due to the nature of his brain chemistry and elevated neural activity."

Jack made to sit down in the chair that he had used so many times in the past as he watched over each of his friends after their skirmishes, near-misses and whatnot, but Daniel said, "Jack, it's ok – I'll be fine."

Pausing, Jack replied, "Fine my foot."

"Really."

Teal'c added, "I will remain here with DanielJackson, O'Neill."

He shot an odd look at Jonas, who shrugged, and the Jaffa continued, "… as I will be the only member of SG-1 able to focus."

Jack smirked and patted an embarrassed Jonas on the back as Carolyn fought to keep her facial expression neutral. Daniel said, smiling slightly,

"Jack, hug the babies for me."

"Yasureyabetcha. Doc?"

Carolyn replied, "Yes Sir?"

"Any developments… however small, I want to know."

"Yes Sir."

Jack affectionately ruffled the Archaeologist's hair, making him scowl, before leaving, bidding everyone goodnight. Carolyn checked the monitors one last time before wandering off to carry out the rest of her duties, and Jonas asked as he perched on the edge of the Archaeologist's bed,

"What do you think this is?"

Daniel sighed, replying, "I don't know… I think it's something to do with that Ancient translation that Mitchell brought back from that mission you missed."

His features lightened up, Jonas asked, "The Guardian?"

Daniel nodded, and Teal'c said, "Perhaps this transformation is related to that."

Daniel replied, "That's what I've been thinking. Why now of all times? I wish we could contact the Ancients but there's that whole 'no interference' rule on their part."

He continued with a sigh, "I'm scared."

Both men present knew that it had taken a lot for the Archaeologist to actually admit to being scared, and Jonas said, smiling slightly, "Carolyn's a pretty good Doctor, and you're in possibly the best medical facility on Earth."

He continued, his smile vanishing, "It's a shame the Asgard are gone."

Teal'c added, "Indeed. Thor would have examined DanielJackson's physiology and ascertained what was wrong, or indeed, what was right. The Asgard had technology to extract Ancient knowledge as they did with O'Neill."

Jonas and Daniel nodded, the Archaeologist asking, "So, you think the Ancient knowledge is leaking?"

Teal'c replied, "I do not know, but if I were to hazard a guess, then I would say 'perhaps'."

"Well, I have to say, I'm not coming up with little memories or replacing English words with Ancient, although… those powers were weird."

Jonas retorted, "I'll say. Jack's face must have been priceless."

"And mine… he's Special Forces trained."

Teal'c asked, "Would you be able to exhibit this new ability once more?"

Daniel frowned briefly before saying, "Sure… why not? I mean, Carolyn's within gasping distance."

Jonas placed a box of tissues in Daniel's lap and the Archaeologist outstretched his hand as Carolyn paused in intrigue as she walked on her rounds of the medical facility.

Frowning as he closed his eyes, a white light once more emanated from his palm and he opened his eyes to see the box levitate, higher and higher. Clenching his fist as everyone, including him, were transfixed on the box, the said box slowly descended, dropping with a thud back in its place of origin.

For a moment, no-one spoke, but Carolyn, noticing Daniel looking drained, hooked up an IV to his arm. Once again speaking softly, she asked,

"Daniel?"

His eyes closed, he released a long breath and replied, "I'm not as tired as I was before…"

He opened his eyes and everyone's gaze moved to the monitors. She quickly moved to them and called a Nurse over, who took some notes. As Jonas looked on in consternation, Teal'c said,

"DoctorLam."

Carolyn replied, glancing at the Jaffa, "His brain chemistry and neural activity has increased exponentially but appears to be stable. We're going to have to run some more tests though."

--------------------

A battery of tests later, Carolyn joined the three men with the results. She said to Teal'c and Jonas in her normal voice, noticing that Daniel looked a lot healthier,

"His Ancient gene count is considerably higher, his brain chemistry's a lot different from what it was, his brain wave activity is impossible, and he has a little electrolyte imbalance, which will be alleviated by the intravenous. _However_…"

Daniel remarked quietly, "I hate that word."

She turned to him and continued, "We still don't know what's making you change. At the moment, I'm going with the hypothesis that the Ancient knowledge in your brain may be leaking somehow. I have no other evidence but for the sudden appearance of the Ancient gene in your DNA, the elevated gene count, and the obvious physiological changes. It appears that you're becoming more accustomed to your… powers, and that your brain is changing to accommodate this."

She sighed and continued, looking a touch wistful, "I wish the Asgard were still around."

Daniel remarked, "Join the club."

Jonas asked, "Is there anything that you can do?"

Carolyn replied, gazing at him, a hint of fear in her eyes, "I'm afraid not Jonas. We're going to have to just see what happens, and, as much as I hate to say this, hope for the best."

She returned her gaze to Daniel and asked, "Have you… have you come into contact from anything off-world just recently?"

Daniel replied, "There were tablets but Jonas and his linguists touched them too. I haven't been off-world since going to see Sam over in Atlantis. We can't go to see them without a ship now because their 'gate's offline due to the Wraith tracking the wormhole signature."

His gaze dropped to his lap as he was once again reminded of his wife so far away, and to everyone's surprise, the lights began to flash on and off wildly, the monitors switching on and off repeatedly. She ran to an intercom and called, pressing a button,

"Sergeant Siler, are there any faults in the electrical system?"

Siler called back, "No Ma'am… not that I know of. Why do you ask?"

As she watched Daniel gaze up in outright amazement, she replied, "No reason, Sergeant, thanks."

She approached Daniel's bed and asked cautiously, "Daniel?"

He replied, utterly shocked and surprised, "I think it was me."

"You?"

He nodded before closing his eyes, thinking deep thoughts of Sam being so far away. He opened his eyes and once more the lights flashed, the equipment switching on and off, startling all present, including several Nurses. Jonas asked, glancing at Daniel,

"Daniel? You… you, can, ah, mess with electricity?"

Shocked, Daniel exhaled and replied, "I think so…"

Carolyn was in the process of checking the monitors, and she said as they were returned to normal mode, a Nurse taking notes, "You're changing, Daniel. Each time you use your… powers, it's as though your body's compensating by rewiring itself. This… this isn't humanly possible. By all medical science, you… you shouldn't be alive."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow ironically as Daniel closed his eyes, and Jonas remarked, smiling slightly, "That's true for him anyway."

Daniel said, his eyes still closed, "Cassie had telekinetic powers courtesy of Nirrti."

Carolyn replied, "I thought of that, but you're clean – you haven't arrested or had any adverse reaction than being dehydrated. I still need to keep you in."

Daniel nodded, saying as he opened his eyes, "I got that. I'll try not to dwell on…"

The lights flickered briefly, and he continued, closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "I'll try not to dwell on Sam too much… it can't be healthy for the circuitry."

Carolyn asked, "Would you like me to call Cam and Vala?"

Daniel, closing his eyes briefly, replied, "No… those two are off to Kansas to see his parents… they had enough weirdness the last time what with the bounty hunters."

Carolyn remarked, feigning a Southern accent during the metaphor, "Ok, but if either of them offer to, ahem, roast me like a hind steak on a skillet, then I'm roping you in to diffuse the situation."


	38. Developments

_The tune Terson's humming is For Baby (For Bobby) by John Denver, and that's where the lyrics are from too._

_--------------------_

Over in Atlantis, having taken their 'gate offline to prevent further Wraith ships from tracking the wormhole signature and potentially attacking Earth, the scientists went to work creating modified versions of the Asgard technology incorporated into Terson's Jumper, the young woman leading much of the work. During the month that had passed since Terson's arrival, they had been repeatedly attacked by Wraith ships but just about managed to fend them off with a combination of Asgard technology and Merlin's device, thanks to modifications made by the Lieutenant from the future.

As she assisted Sam in rewiring a relay, the Astrophysicist asked, glancing at her as they lay under a large device, "Are you sure that you can't tell me any more than the fact that you're from the future?"

"I'm sure. I'm waiting for something to happen first. I promise you that when the time is right, you'll know…"

Terson glanced across at Sam and continued with a slight smile, "Look on the bright side, I'm not a Wraith."

"Oh, that's really reassuring… you've shrouded your DNA!"

"An' I said I'd tell you when the time was right… yeesh."

Terson returned her attention to her work, humming an eerily familiar tune ("_I'll walk in the rain by your side, I'll cling to the warmth of your hand…_"). Sam, surprised, smiled and said, nostalgic,

"My husband sings that to our children."

Terson remarked, smiling as she decoupled a series of wires, "John Denver aficionado, huh? How old are they?"

Sam said with a sigh as she remembered her family so far away, "Two and a half."

"Aww, and they look really cute. How did you meet your husband?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Sam noticed Terson pause, her cerulean gaze focussed on her as if she was scrutinising her in anticipation of her response. Sam replied, using her screwdriver,

"Oh, it was twelve years ago, roughly. General O'Neill – he was a Colonel back then – led a team through the 'gate back to Abydos to talk to Daniel after some Goa'uld came through our 'gate and captured a female Sergeant, killing others. I'm assuming you know all about how the 'gate was opened?"

With a nod from the younger woman, Sam continued, "Anyway, it was my first time through the 'gate – I'd missed the first Abydos mission due to General West being an out-and-out chauvinist – and Daniel had been living there with the natives and his wife, Sha're…"

She paused to wipe a tear as she remembered how Daniel was willing to go to hell and back to get Sha're home again, and she continued, her voice shaky at first, "So we went there and I was just amazed on seeing the DHD, what with Earth's one missing from the dig at Giza. After Colonel O'Neill got my attention, I looked up and saw this wonderful man who was famous in our department at the Pentagon for what he had done, and the first thing that struck me were his eyes…"

She turned to look at Terson and said, "They're a lot like yours…"

She returned her attention to her work and continued, "Daniel has really nice eyes. Anyway, we met, and he led us to the Cartouche room to show us a series of addresses that he had found."

"'gate addresses?"

"Yeah… I didn't think it was possible at the time because my team had run a series of permutations on the symbols after the first mission but didn't come up with anything. Anyway, he came out of left field by mentioning stellar drift… of course, the 'gate addresses would have changed over time due to the expanding universe model, but he was really thinking out of the box.

"And you know what? He was right. I used the addresses to create a computer model to compensate for three thousand years of stellar drift, and… look where we are now. If it wasn't for Daniel… I would've thought of something eventually – I mean alternate versions of myself had opened the 'gate in her universe, but they were pretty much cold dialling. Without him and his beautiful leaps of logic, they were just guessing addresses."

Terson, looking surprised, said, "But he was married."

Her features shrouded in sadness, Sam replied, "Yes, he was. Sha're meant the world to him and he still loves her. She's the reason he joined SG-1 in the first place. He searched for her for three years. He found her twice. The first, she was pregnant with… Apophis' child; the second, also the last, Teal'c shot her to save Daniel's life when she used a hand device on him.

"It took an ascension and a descension to put his heart at ease, although he was alone for a long time, and perhaps would've been had we not both had a nudge down the right path three years ago."

Terson asked, "What happened?"

Sam remarked, smiling slightly as she looked across at Terson briefly, "I don't know what it is, but there's something about you that makes it seem like I could tell you anything… I think it's those eyes."

Terson blushed slightly, and Sam replied to Terson's question with a sigh, "We… we were involved in a situation off-world, and after I returned, I discovered that amongst the injuries, I was pregnant."

As Terson raised an eyebrow for no apparent reason, Sam continued, gradually smiling, "I don't think that either Daniel or I would have been able to get through the aftermath if it wasn't for each other. Carolyn, the CMO, said that we had moved in leaps and bounds in the healing process. We took to sleeping with each other…"

Noticing Terson look embarrassed, Sam rolled her eyes and said, "_Literally_ sleeping together. It helped with the nightmares knowing that my best friend was right close by, and Cam was in the next room, having taken it upon himself to care for us."

Sighing as she smiled in remembrance, she continued, "It wasn't until about the fourth or fifth month that our… well, my feelings changed to such a degree that I was incredibly aware of them. I was scared. Ok, I felt like that before but… well anyway, we talked and it turned out that he had had feelings for me for years and had kept silent about them, thinking… thinking that I wasn't interested."

Terson asked softly, "Whose baby was it?"

Sam replied, bemused, "_Babies_, and they were Daniel's."

"Ah."

"We got married a couple of months before the twins' second birthday… well, that was our on-base wedding… we had a proper one a month after the twins had turned two… God, I miss them."

"What's with the gap?"

Confused at first, Sam replied, "What… oh right, we went on a mission and defeated the Ori in between."

Sam remarked with a sigh as she slowly moved out from under the device, "All this story-telling's making me parched."

She reached for her mug that had been waiting there and took a sip. As Terson emerged from under the device, Sam frowned and looked into the mug. Terson asked,

"Colonel?"

Sam glanced at her and asked, "Is it just me, or does this taste odd?"

As Sheppard neared them, he remarked, "Define odd. Your husband didn't see fit to share his special blend with us."

Sam winced slightly at the taste and replied, "I don't know… it just tastes different."

She got up and quickly left, saying something about the Infirmary. Sheppard glanced at a now standing Terson and asked, "You didn't have anything to do with it, did you?"

Terson frowned, remarking with a hard gaze that would have easily scared the hungriest of the Wraith, "What the hell do you take me for?"

"Lieutenant…"

Terson flippantly replied, "Fine… Sir."

--------------------

After performing a series of tests on Sam, Carson sat her down on a gurney in a quiet part of the medical bay and asked quietly, "Sam… have you had unprotected sex any time in the past month?"

Surprised, Sam frowned in disbelief before replying with a sigh, her cheeks reddening slightly, "Oh… when Daniel was here."

She lowered her head in embarrassment, asking quietly, "Why do you ask?"

Carson touched her arm, resulting in the Colonel meeting her gaze, and she replied, looking surprised herself, "You're pregnant."

Sam blinked slowly in subdued surprise, the news taking a moment to sink in. Carson sat opposite her, aware of what was going on, but even she was surprised when Sam's military exterior fell, her gaze softening as the tears fell. She clamped a hand over her mouth before asking,

"How? I'm on contraceptive shots… you know that – you've been injecting me since I've been here."

Carson sighed, replying, "The hormone appears to have been completely absorbed into your blood, thus negating its contraceptive properties. Doctor Brightman's testing the supplies."

Not wanting to believe, Sam asked, her face tearstained, "Are you sure?"

Carson nodded grimly, and Sam shut her eyes, bowing her head slightly. She took a deep breath to calm herself, and then another, and swallowed. She then met Carson's gaze, nodding in thanks for the tissue she offered, and she said, drying her eyes,

"It seems to be a record with me… Cammie bypassed my contraceptive shots too. Oh God…"

She covered her eyes with her hand, and Carson gently asked, "Do… do you want to do anything about it?"

Realising what Carson was implying, Sam moved her hand, meeting the Doctor's gaze, and she replied, looking increasingly broken, "It was like this with Cammie. Admittedly my decision to keep her was so that Daniel wouldn't be alone, but… it's my last chance, isn't it? I'm forty-four – if I… terminate, not only will I be killing someone that didn't choose to be in my womb, but I'll miss my last chance to have children. But… if I keep Junior, I'm putting the entire city at risk. The Wraith will come and I can't do my duties, and I'll need people to protect me as I progress. I… I don't want to make the decision."

Carson placed a hand on hers, guessing how hard the decision must be by the haunted look in the Colonel's eyes, the Doctor said, "Sam… I don't know but… but I'm getting this weird feeling that you should let that new girl know. She did say that she was waiting for something to happen because in her timeline, we barely escaped. If she's telling the truth about coming from the future, she's changed things."

Unconsciously fingering the chain of her St Christopher, Sam nodded slowly and replied, "Ok."

At that moment, Terson appeared in the doorway with Sheppard and Jennifer all three looking increasingly concerned on noting Sam's demeanour. Sam sniffed, releasing a shuddering breath, and Sheppard asked,

"Colonel?"

Sam nodded slightly as she met the Doctor's gaze briefly, and Carson approached the trio, saying solemnly, "The Colonel's pregnant."

As Sheppard stood, looking as surprised as years of hurt and military training would allow, Terson visibly flushed, and Jennifer, surprised, quickly ran to Sam's side on the gurney, pulling her into a hug. Sam hesitated before closing her eyes and letting herself be lost for a moment in the embrace.

Terson stock-still in the doorway, Sheppard slowly approached Sam and said as she and Jennifer separated, "I thought you were on those injections…"

Sam, her head hung in embarrassment, upset, replied, "I am, but the hormone was absorbed into my blood somehow. This shouldn't have happened."

Sheppard exhaled, raising his eyebrows briefly, and remarked, "If it's twins, we're saved."

Sam frowned slightly in thought as she stared at her feet, and Jennifer asked as McKay entered the room to look around at his friends in confusion, "Wait, Colonel, you don't believe that, surely?"

"In our line of work, I'm open to anything, and the fact that the Colonel's pregnant…"

McKay interrupted him, looking very, very shocked, and asked as he approached Sam, "What, you're pregnant?"

Sam nodded as Sheppard cocked his head, remarking, "Why, Meredith, your hearing is up this week."

McKay made a face at him before asking, "So… um, this whole prophecy thing then… you're on Atlantis, you're pregnant and we've got no way home unless we really like Jumpers, or want to attract the Wraith like moths to a flame… in a good way for them of course. I mean, real moths get set alight by naked flames, burning them and thus…"

Jennifer, smiling affectionately at the scientist, said, "Shut up Rod."

McKay immediately clammed up, and Sam, amused, remarked as Carson and Sheppard smirked, "You're not putting up a fight."

Jennifer said with a shrug, "The guy's learning."

--------------------

Later that night, there was a knock at the door of Sam's quarters as the Colonel tossed and turned, unable to sleep after the revelation of the day. She ran her fingers through her hair and got up, passing her hand over the scanner to open the door to find none other than Terson, looking nervous, with Carson in the background.

Frowning slightly in confusion, Sam waved them in, and the door closed, she turned to them as they perched on the edge of her bed and asked, "What's going on?"

Carson raised an eyebrow and looked at Terson, who looked down at her lap and said quietly, her Southern accent gone, "I'm not Lieutenant Janet Terson, although I'm close."

Terson's cerulean gaze catching the light as she raised her head, she continued as a curious Sam sat down next to her, "I'm… I'm Cameron Janet Carter-Jackson."

Sam, for the second time that day, blinked in surprise, her gaze shifting to Carson's. Carson shrugged and said,

"She's telling the truth Sam. This is Cammie, all grown up. She came to me a little earlier and the DNA and blood corresponded with yours and Daniel's – she's even got Naquadah there too along with Goa'uld protein markers. She stopped shrouding it somehow."

Sam, overcome with emotion, instinctively covered her mouth with her hand as the tears ran down her cheeks. She gazed at the nervous looking young woman next to her and said in disbelief,

"Cammie?"

Cammie nodded, replying, "Yes Mom."

Sam shook her head, not wanting to believe, so Cammie reached into the pocket of her shirt, pulling out a pair of glasses and putting them on. Instantly, a memory of laughing at a much younger Cammie in the SGC Nursery surfaced, telling Daniel that she looked like a girly version of him when she had stolen his glasses. Fighting back further tears, Sam closed her eyes and pulled her into a hug, whispering,

"Oh God, Cammie… you're beautiful…"

Cammie remarked, whispering back, "This is hair dye. James said I looked too much like Dad."

Sam backed away a little, holding her daughter by her upper arms as she looked her over with a new found recognition, as if her eyes had been fogged over previously. Cupping her jaw as the younger woman submitted to the scrutiny, she smoothed her cheek with a thumb and gazed into her eyes, still behind glasses.

Her face crumpled on realising how much like Daniel she looked, and once more, she closed her eyes as the pain of their separation resurfaced. She pulled her into a hug again, whispering as Carson decided to leave to give them some time together,

"You look just like Daddy."

Unbeknownst to her but perhaps not to Cammie, an aged Daniel stood in a corner of the room near the open door to the balcony, a tall, lanky fair-haired young man at his side, he whispered, his voice reflecting the level of awe present on his face, "Your mother was such a beautiful woman, Junior."

'Junior' replied, "She sure was Dad… I hope Cammie knows what she's doing."

"Me too, James… me too, but the fact that your Mom's still… still here says something. Don't doubt your sister."

"Stubborn as a mule, just like you."

The aged Daniel frowned, saying, "James…"

James replied with a shrug, "Hey, not my words – Uncle Jack's."

As he gazed at Sam, Daniel replied with a distant expression, "Figures."

--------------------

Outside, oblivious to the developments indoors, Lorne sat painting another view of the city at night, sat closer to the pier than before as thoughts of what had happened ran through his head which each stroke of the brush. His thoughts were interrupted as his soldier instincts kicked in when he sensed something other than Sheppard's golf balls splashing in front of him.

He looked up to see Jennifer slowly coming into view, one of the outside floodlights bathing her in its brilliant glow briefly. He smiled at her in greeting, and she stood next to him, hands stuck in pockets as she asked, sounding a touch apprehensive,

"I'm not interrupting, am I?"

Touching up a part of his picture, he shook his head, replying, "Not at all… You beaten Doctor McKay up yet?"

She smiled and said, "I could never do that – he's a nice guy… Ok, to be honest, the fact that Colonel Sheppard or Ronon haven't either shot or beaten him to a bloody pulp during his time here means that there must be something there."

"Yeah, that stopped me from shooting the guy. Hey, if you're not doing anything, why don't you pull a chair up? I could sure use the company… the L T Colonel's bashing golf balls into the water again…"

His statement was punctuated by a splash in front of them which made her flinch, and she chuckled. He continued,

"… the full Colonel's moody and upset about being pregnant, and… well, all the rest of them are doing their own thing."

She smiled as she pulled a chair up, sitting next to him and she looked at the canvas, eyeing it appreciatively. He tentatively looked at her, noting her expression light up, and she said, awe-struck,

"That really is beautiful. Sam told me about you painting before but… still, it's a surprise."

Embarrassed, he ducked his head briefly, saying, "Thanks."

Swiftly changing the subject, he asked, "How far have you come along with the whole Indiana Jones thing in the disused labs?"

"Oh, a lot… found a lot more inscriptions about the Duality and some other stuff. Carson was just going to see Rod when I came out for a break."

"It's about time those two got back to being friends again… Doctor Beckett was like the only guy who could understand the guy."

"Hmm, I've heard a lot about that… I think Rod's scared though."

"Well, it's kinda freaky."

"I'll say."

Glancing at her briefly, he asked, "So… you and Doctor McKay, huh?"

Frowning slightly, she counter-asked, "Me and Rod, what?"

"I mean… you know, you two… ah, sorry, it isn't any of my business."

She smiled, placing a hand on his arm briefly as she replied, "Oh, don't worry. We're all stuck here for God-knows-how-long anyway, Major."

Smiling back at her, his brush hovering over the canvas, he said, "Hey, call me Evan, Doctor."

"Ok, but call be Jennifer... wow, I would never have had you pegged as an Evan… you look more like a Michael."

Returning his attention to his canvas to hide his growing blush, he replied, "Funny story about that… Mom wanted to name me after Michelangelo – she's an Art teacher – but Dad wanted to name me after Grandpa Lorne – guess who won out."

She nodded slightly, saying, "Evan's nice… it has a quirky ring to it."

"Thanks… so… you got anyone waiting back home?"

She paused before replying, "Just my Mom… she's a fellow at the University of Nebraska. She's a Professor in Sociolinguistics."

"Oh… cool."

She looked at him, asking, "So, what about you?"

He replied with a shrug, "My Mom… Dad passed away when I was ten…"

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's ok…"

"Anyone else?"

"Hm, there wasn't really much time between basic training and missions and whatnot."

"Ah… kinda weird working at the SGC sometimes, huh?"

"Oh, you bet. I'll never forget Doctor Jackson busting a gut after I moved some staff weapons and stuff we'd found near an Unas mining colony. I swear if Colonel… uh, General O'Neill hadn't been there, he probably would've done a glowy thing on me."

Smiling, she replied, "Oh Doctor J… he's really passionate about his work, and is a really keen advocate of the practice of studying artefacts in the place that they were found. It's an Archaeologist thing."

"He's a good man though, and after all these years, he's like a soldier."

"Oh, and then some."

She blushed, and he remarked with a teasing smile, "You've got a crush on him."

She made to shake her head but he continued good-naturedly, "Ah, don't deny it Jennifer… he's pretty cute."

She raised an eyebrow at him, smiling as their gazes met, when suddenly it felt as though something in the air made their smiles vanish, a sombre seriousness slipping into place. They reluctantly broke eye contact, she murmuring, embarrassed,

"I… I better go and see what Rod's up to…"

He, embarrassed too, replied, wondering why he felt disappointed, "Um… yeah…"

She didn't move though, staying in her seat. He glanced at her, wondering what she was going to do when she said, still sounding unsure, "It was nice talking to you… Evan."

She made to kiss him briefly on the cheek, not being able to resist doing so, when he, apprehensive, turned to face her, and they were both very surprised when their lips met. Instead of pulling apart, they silently reassured each other before tentatively continuing.

Eventually parting, he caressed her jaw, stunned as she whispered an apology. Mentally shaking himself, he shook his head, replying,

"Nope… don't apologise… that was both of us… and… I…"

She finished his thought, shy, "… wouldn't mind if it happened again."

Almost immediately their gazes moved to each other's lips, and they closed the distance, no hesitations this time, and kissed. He cupped her jaw with the hand that no longer held his paint brush, the implement cast aside on the floor, forgotten, both of them slowly deepening the kiss as Sheppard, looking down at them from his balcony above, was too stunned to continue working on his backswing.

Teyla joined the Colonel and with a surprised expression on noting what was going on beneath them, she said quietly, smiling, "They make quite the couple."

Sheppard eventually replied, "Well… yeah… it's nice that despite all the crap going on, there's a little hope."

"What about Samantha's babies?"

"Oh come on, who's gonna believe some prophecies made by some secretive glowy people?!"

With a raised eyebrow, Teyla remarked, a small smile playing on her lips, "Would that be the same race who invented Puddle Jumpers?"


	39. Briefings

SG-1, Daniel, Jack, Elizabeth, Carolyn, and Reynolds held a briefing to discuss the Archaeologist's condition. Carolyn addressed the group, gesturing to slides as she talked, standing at the front of the room,

"… so due to the increased neural activity, altered brain chemistry, changed brain physiology, evidence of extrasensory perception and the ATA gene, an increased ATA gene count, and after consulting hundreds of mission reports and Doctor Frasier's notes concerning Ayiana, the Ancient found on Antarctica, and General O'Neill, I am led to believe that Doctor Jackson has somehow changed into an Ancient."

Everyone else exchanged odd looks, Reynolds asking, raising his hand briefly, "Sorry Doc, but how is this possible? He's not ascended or anything."

"I honestly don't know Colonel, but he is changing into something."

"But you're not sure whether it's an Ancient or something else."

"Yes, but due to the presence of the ATA gene and ESP, it's fairly likely that it's an Ancient."

Reynolds nodded and glanced over at Daniel, who said with a shrug, "I had Merlin's consciousness in me before and had telekinesis then, but my body struggled with it. I've got to say though, when I use these powers of mine, it doesn't feel like it did then. It feels… different."

Jack asked, intrigued, "Different?"

"Yeah. I mean, even when you had all that Ancient knowledge in your head, twice, you didn't have white lights coming out of your hands or as many powers that I've exhibited so far."

Raising his eyebrows briefly, Jack remarked, "Sounds like a contest, Dannyboy."

Daniel rolled his eyes, and Jonas said as Carolyn took a seat, "I think that it could be something to do with the tablet that Cam brought back a month ago, and the others brought back by SG-3 from the same world a couple of weeks ago. They tell a story about the Guardian and the Listener, warriors of the home realm, who will have two babies. As Daniel has already said…"

He got up to switch Carolyn's slides with his own, showing them extracts from the tablet, and continued, "'_the one who is to be divinely judged_' is more or less the meaning of his name, and, ah, Samantha is the Hebrew for 'Listener'…

"The tablet claims that two babies will be born on a distant world, although the place name has been obscured by natural erosion of the rock, and bring about a golden age of peace. The Guardian is meant to act as their protector, as the name suggests, and he is also named as Galahad the Pure, associate of Artur.

"The Listener is also referred to as the 'White Fairy' and, as most of us remember from the big Ori mission, Artur called Sam 'Guinevere', which is the French version of the Welsh, 'Gwenhwyfar', meaning 'White Fairy' or 'White Fay'."

He took his seat once more, and Cam asked Daniel, "So… this anything to do with Merlin being in you?"

Daniel shrugged, replying, "I honestly don't know although Myrddin isn't named in the tablets."

Vala asked, looking worried, "Could this be related to the Ori?"

Teal'c replied, "We defeated the Ori, ValaMalDoran."

"It's still possible… they could've messed with Daniel."

Daniel replied, "I was extensively checked out along with the rest of us when we came back, and it's been five months… plus, Carolyn checked me out earlier."

Jack remarked as he straightened up, stretching his arms behind his head, "Ah, I'm sayin' that doing the glowy thing and taking Merlin in when the old guy had nowhere else to go messed him up a little."

Daniel replied, hitching his glasses up, "But you've had the Ancients knowledge in your head, twice, and you're not getting all these… crazy things happening to you."

With a smug smile, Jack retorted, "That's because I'm the next step of the human evolutionary process."

Daniel rolled his eyes as everyone else smiled briefly, Vala remarking, feigning innocence, "I'd say that Daniel was that next step now… but I could have told you that anyway what with the way Samantha used to smile…"

Daniel blushed, his gaze moving to the tabletop as everyone else turned to look at the ex-thief, Cam glaring at her in his unique way. She rolled her eyes at Cam and remarked,

"Darling, you know I'm joking."

Cam retorted, "We're at a briefing."

She smiled at him teasingly before asking, "So… I'm assuming that we _don't_ shout this latest development off the mountaintop unless you want Athena and her goons coming after our delectable Archaeologist."

Daniel replied quietly, "I second a half of that."

Jack raised his eyebrows, remarking, surprising Vala in the process, "Why, you egotistical…"

Daniel glared at Jack, retorting, "The part about Athena…"

"Suure…"

"Jaaack…"

Teal'c said, "I believe that it would be prudent to keep this a secret to avoid attracting unwelcome attention from the Trust."

Cam asked, "Wait a sec, what about the kids mentioned in the tablet?"

Daniel shrugged, replying quietly, aware of Reynolds' presence, "I think they could be Cammie and James… '_hair like sunshine and eyes like whirlpools_'… their conception was pretty much a miracle."

Vala began, "Oh, I'll say… I still…" She abruptly stopped as she grimaced in pain briefly, and Jack, curious, dropped his pen and when he reached down, saw Cam's hand squeezing her thigh before releasing it.

Jack sat up again, fighting the oncoming smirk, and Elizabeth asked, "What do we do? I suppose it's only a matter of time before the Trust come to know about this."

Jack replied with a sigh, "We act like nothing's out of the ordinary, and make sure Dannyboy here's got one of us with him at all times."

Reynolds added, "A Zat would be good too."

Teal'c remarked grimly, making Jack and Cam smile, "Indeed, especially three zat'nika'tel blasts."

Smiling at the Jaffa, Elizabeth asked, "What about the 'home realm' mentioned in the tablets?"

Daniel exhaled and replied, "It could our galaxy seeing as the Ancients lived here to escape the Ori and protect us in the process, the Ori galaxy where the Ancients originally came from, or perhaps the Pegasus galaxy, home to the best of their cities… Their Ortus Mallum was…"

When everyone looked at him oddly, he frowned and asked, "What?"

Jack remarked, "Oh boy… please tell me you're not Ancienting up."

"Ego non Anquietas ani – ego Galahad ani."

Cam looked at Jonas, who said, "He just said 'I am not an Anquietas – an Ancient – I'm Galahad'."

Frowning at first, Daniel then looked surprised before saying, exhaling, "Stercus accidit…"

Everyone looked at Jonas who said with a shrug, "Shi…"

Jack cut him off with a wave of his hand, and Jonas continued, "… happens."

--------------------

A series of tests later, Daniel began to talk in English again, fully capable of switching between that and Ancient under his own volition once more. The people who had been in the briefing room were gathered in the observation room with Carolyn as she briefed them, the Archaeologist with Vala in the main infirmary,

"The changes are still happening… it's like his body, especially his brain is rewiring itself to cope with the demands of whatever this is. It's way beyond anything I've ever seen and, judging by Doctor Frasier's notes, it's a lot different from what happened to you, General."

Jack asked, visibly worried, "Is he dying?"

"The changes are stabilising. Like I said, his brain's compensating for the changes being made."

Their collective gazes moved to the window where they could see a series of objects ascending and descending in a regular rhythm, the lights flickering as Vala looked up, half-amazed and half-scared. Cam asked,

"So… um, the electric thing…"

"It's linked to his moods. I'm guessing that he's thinking of Sam."

Teal'c asked, "Would DanielJackson be able to alter meteorological and atmospheric phenomena? If he could, he would certainly attract adverse attention."

As a still worried Jack placed a hand on his shoulder, Carolyn replied with a shrug, "Maybe… especially lightening storms."


	40. Familiar Faces

Everyone, surprised on learning of Terson's true identity, kept looking at her with various degrees of oddness, Sam the only exception. Taking a break from rewiring an Asgard canon, Sam stepped outside for some fresh air to see Cammie sat on the edge of the pier, her legs swinging off the edge, obviously deep in thought.

Sam approached her, sitting next to her and asking, "You ok?"

Cammie nodded, replying, "I guess."

Sam gazed at her for a moment, noting the many similarities between her and Daniel, and she looked forward across the water once again, and said with a sigh, "Cammie, tell me the truth… what really happened to me in your timeline? I saw your face when you found out about the pregnancy… well, ok, and when we first met too. Am I a good mother?"

Cammie replied with a distant smile, using her Southern accent, "Oh, the best, Momma."

Sam remarked, raising an eyebrow, "Quit using that accent – it's creepy now."

Cammie smiled, closing her eyes briefly before saying in her normal voice, "I modelled it on Uncle Cam's."

"So… what happened?"

Cammie closed her eyes, releasing a shuddering breath, and said in a quiet voice, this time sounding a lot more like her father than before, "The city was destroyed… everyone got through except for you…"

She opened her eyes and gazed at her mother, tears welling in her eyes, "You died saving their lives, Mom."

Horrified at the thought of what could have been, Sam gasped, exclaiming quietly, "Oh God…"

She met Cammie's gaze and asked, "Then I wasn't there for you growing up?"

Tears were streaming down the younger woman's cheeks by that point, and she replied in a whisper, "In spirit, Mom… Dad misses you each day, as well as the rest of us. I'll have to admit, it's been hard growing up without a maternal figure, but Dad did an amazing job and I'm grateful… both James and I are."

Tears brimming in her own eyes, Sam hugged her daughter, whispering, "Oh God Cammie, I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry for choosing work over your father, you and your brother…"

Gently rubbing Sam's back, Cammie replied, "It wasn't your fault Mom, and no-one blames you. Dad blames himself for not stopping you from going, and then for not staying with you."

When they parted, Sam said, wiping her tears away, "But I let you down. I only wanted the best for you and your brother. That's why I went to fight the Ori with your Daddy, Uncle Cam, Uncle Teal'c, Uncle Jonas and Auntie Vala… and that's why I'm here. I know the Wraith will come to Earth if we don't stop them here…"

Sam paused before asking, "Do we win?"

Cammie's gaze fell to her lap before replying, "We narrowly stopped a series of Wraith ships from attacking Earth. Dad, James and I drew lots over who should go. I… I had to zat them…"

She looked sheepish, and Sam, shocked, rebuked her, saying, "Cameron Carter-Jackson, you zatted your Dad and your brother!?!"

Cammie shrugged, replying, "I had to Mom, or we would've all come here…"

She smiled and added, "Like we did."

Shocked, Sam stared at her, just as an older looking Daniel and a considerably older James appeared. Sam gasped in surprise, slowly getting to her feet as she faced Daniel, noting the white hair, the pain etched in his features, and she threw himself at him, hugging him, both of them crying.

He murmured, "Oh God, Sam… I thought I'd never see you again…"

Ignoring the fact that he was now something like twenty years older than her, she kissed him, holding him close as they continued to cry. She whispered,

"I've missed you so much…"

She added with a smile as she ran her fingers through his snowy hair, "You've changed."

He replied, sadness in his still stunning cerulean orbs, "You haven't… you're still as beautiful as you always were."

She kissed him again before looking at James, noting how much like a younger Mark he looked, and she pulled him into a hug, whispering, "James, you're… wow."

James replied, kissing his mother's hair, "We've missed you Mom."

"I miss you guys too, but I never thought in a million years that I'd see you like this… my, how you've grown!"

Daniel remarked, smiling fondly at her, "I'll say."

Her arm around James, she stepped closer to Daniel, Cammie joining them as the Colonel pulled out the scarab that she still wore around her neck, and Daniel's eyes lit up on remembering it. She held it in her palm, and she opened it to reveal the four pictures. Cammie asked,

"Dad, is that the scarab you told us about?"

Daniel dumbly nodded, and Sam replied, smiling a smile that lit up her face, "I got it for my forty-fourth birthday when a certain Archaeologist was in D.C… And this…"

She gestured to the St Christopher, and James said, smiling, "Now _that_ is obvious… Grandma Jackson's St Christopher… we've heard great stories about this."

She met Daniel's gaze once more, his eyes looking as though they would explode with all the sadness that she found therein, and she held his gaze for a moment, James and Cammie making excuses to step away, making faces before deciding to hold off an advancing albeit shocked Sheppard who had come to see what Sam was up to.

Daniel cupped her jaw, his thumb caressing her cheek, and he whispered, "I didn't know that you were pregnant when you… left."

Pulling him close, she replied against his neck, reaching around to gently caress the sensitive part, "I'm sorry Daniel."

Surprised, he asked, "Why?"

"I left. I should've stayed and let someone else come out here. I let you all down and…"

"Whoa, wait a second… it hasn't happened now, and the fact that you're still here means that our wonderful daughter has changed things."

"So… what's Cammie in your timeline?"

He smiled against her hair, replying, "An Astrophysicist with multiple talents, just like Mommy… and an Archaeologist…"

Surprised, she asked, "She double-majored?"

"Oh, you bet… Jack was right – those two are scary. Both of them got into college at sixteen and are expecting five PhDs between them… well, they _were_… who knows what'll happen now?"

She held onto him tighter, whispering, "It'll all work out Daniel… you've been given a second chance – we all have."

He gently kissed her before reluctantly pulling away, saying, "I… I think that it might not be a good idea for you to cheat on your Daniel… I represent what could have been, but he's not going to be me now."

He gazed at her face before saying, "Fy Gwenhwyfar…"

Tears running down her cheeks, she hugged him again, whispering, "You and your linguistic abilities… I miss you."

Their tender moment was interrupted by Muniz calling over her headset, "Sensors detect five Wraith hive ships, Colonel. ETA in five minutes…"

They separated, and she asked, "Will you stay?"

He nodded, caressing her jaw and replying, "Of course I will… I left you once – I'm not doing it again…"


	41. Glowing, SleepFlying, and Negotiations

_Translation of what he's saying in the bedroom scene of this chapter is… "My mind is infinite. I am (the) legacy of the Ancients." (actually, because of how Latin works, and by extension, the language of the Ancients, a literal translation would sound somewhat like Yoda… lol)_

_--------------------_

On strict orders from Carolyn to bring the Archaeologist back at the first sign of trouble, Jack took Daniel home, on the way to which, the General's car stalled three times, an unexpected albeit brief thunderstorm erupted, and the Colorado transport system inexplicably came to a halt for three minutes and thirty-eight seconds. As Jack parked up in front of the Carter-Jackson residence, he remarked as he glanced at his now very subdued and guilty looking friend,

"You carry on acting all mopey at Carter being away, and there'll be flash floods, freak snowstorms and earthquakes before the night is out… you wanna go back to see Carolyn?"

Daniel closed his eyes and a loud peal of thunder startled the older man, before he replied in a whisper, "No Jack – I'd rather go to bed."

Jack regarded his friend for a full minute before getting out of the car, the younger man following suit after taking a moment to collect himself, his effect on meteorological phenomena, amongst other developments, still a lot to get accustomed to.

--------------------

Later that night, the house as still as it usually was at such a late hour, an indefinable instinct compelled Jack to wake up, only to practically gape in the direction of where his friend was _supposed_ to be in bed. A glow of white light surrounded the reclining Archaeologist as he hovered a good half metre above his bed, fast asleep. A sudden surge of panic running through him briefly as he wondered whether Daniel was in the process of ascending, Jack hissed,

"Daniel?"

No response.

A little louder, "Daniel?!"

Daniel stirred, whispering groggily, "Jack?"

"Care to explain?"

Daniel took a while to reply, but just as Jack was about to get up to shake him awake, hovering or otherwise, he whispered, "Mou fron infinitus est. Ego videum de Anquietas ani."

Jack exhaled, debating whether he should call Carolyn. He then said, louder than previously, "Daniel, wake up."

Daniel stirred awake, and, looking and feeling very scared as he took in what was going on, he asked, looking at his friend, "Jack?"

Jack replied, still looking spooked, "It's ok Daniel… I hope. Just focus on getting back down again. Sheesh, some people sleepwalk or… sleepcook, but you – you have to go one-up and… _sleepfly_."

Daniel, panic-stricken for a moment, closed his eyes and focussed. A few seconds later his friend grew relieved on seeing him slowly lower onto the bed, the white light vanishing. The two men took a moment to collect themselves, before Jack said, trying hard to think of something to say,

"So… this whole… thing… you have…"

Daniel exhaled before replying, "I think my powers are developing."

"I'll say – and making my hair go totally white in the process. You were talking."

Confused, Daniel propped himself up on an elbow, looking towards his friend in the dark as he asked, "I was?"

"Uh-huh."

"What did I say?"

"Well… all I got was _fron_, something about infinity, ego… and a video…"

Daniel snorted, remarking, "Typical…"

He sighed and said as he lay on his back once more, "Well… _fron_ means either brain, mind or head… I think I must have said 'infinitus'… oh."

"Oh?"

Daniel said excitedly, talking quickly, "Ya, oh… I'm betting I said something like… '_Mou fron infinitus est__. Ego videum ani…_' 'My brain, head or mind is infinite… I am (the) legacy…' Jack?"

Bemused, Jack asked, "Yeah?"

"Legacy of what?"

"Hey, you're the Linguist…"

Jack's wisecrack was punctuated by a pillow landing on his head, the object having been thrown by a certain disgruntled Archaeologist. Smirking, Jack exclaimed,

"Hey!"

A brief pause later, he remarked, "There is one advantage to these gnarly powers…"

Sensing that Daniel was listening, Jack continued, "You could scare the living snot out of the Illac Renin and Free Jaffa delegations at the next negotiations…"

"Jaaack… if you think I'm going to use my new abilities to…"

"Daniel, the problem with you is that not only do I have a serious problem understanding the majority of the things you say, but you never have fun."

Daniel huffed and retorted, folding his arms across his chest, "I do."

"Pfft, yeah right… I know you – even when you're with Carter, you're thinking about her…"

Blushing furiously, Daniel rolled his eyes and remarked, "Jack, a little less trying to make me go red, and a little more let's go back to sleep."

"I don't need to _try _to make you go red… Anyway, you were the one going all glowy… if I find that you've accepted certain offers from any of those collective glowy pains-in-the-ass, I'm gonna boot your ass from here to Atlantis."

Daniel sighed, whispering, "I wish you would."

--------------------

As he, Teal'c and Elizabeth sat in the briefing room at the mountain, watching the two Jaffa factions facing off once again, Daniel thought of what Jack had said a few nights previously. As Bra'tac and the head of Illac Renin came very close to having both contingents of Jaffa, themselves included, shout loudly at each other, insulting each other's ancestry, the lights began to flash on and off, eventually catching their attention enough for them to stop and stare at the ceiling in fear.

Elizabeth glanced at Daniel and noticed how cool, calm and collected he appeared, so she hid a knowing smile by picking up a file and opening it. Teal'c barely hid a smirk as he sat immobile. Bra'tac turned to Daniel and asked before returning his gaze to the ceiling,

"DanielJackson, is there a fault within the power system of this facility?"

Daniel replied, still as cool as a cucumber, "Not that I know of… I'll get a couple of technicians to check it out after this is finished… Speaking of finished…"

The head of Illac Renin, Krau'nac, said as everyone took their seats when the lights returned to normal, "We cannot reside with those who believe us to be wrong, and who do not allow us representation in their government."

Rak'nor immediately shot back, "That is because you are physically unable to represent the Free Jaffa nation."

Fuming, Krau'nac remarked, "Brother, I once fought for those who wished us to believe them to be gods, just like you. If Ger'ak were to return, would you ostracise him in this manner?"

Bra'tac stopped three other Jaffa from getting up with a single fierce look before he replied, "If Ger'ak were to return, he would be welcome. He had recanted prior to his death, unlike you. The Ori were not gods and yet you turned against your brother Jaffa to assist them in their murderous crusades across the galaxy."

Right before the Illac Renin delegation, already rather sensitive about their parts in the Ori crusades, and Teal'c said, "If you were to officially recant your belief in the Ori, then we can move forward."

Another Illac Renin delegate, Lok'nar, stood up, shouting and startling Elizabeth and Daniel, "You do not trust us!"

Before the situation could heat up once more, Daniel made the lights flash to subdue them before saying as everyone eventually settled down, "Ok, let's not get belligerent again. You both want freedom, you both want to be independent and self-sufficient… now the only way that that is going to happen is when you can show everyone that you can work together without resorting to insulting each other's mothers or bringing up past atrocities. You've got to learn to work together. You were on the way to doing that right before the Ori showed up, and now you're going to have to work on it again…"

He turned to address Krau'nac, saying, "Why do you even need Illac Renin? Do you want it as a reminder of what it represents? You can make a difference without resorting to creating factions."

Glancing towards Teal'c briefly, he continued, "We have a saying here, and I'm sure Teal'c is familiar with it – 'united we stand, divided we fall'. If you start splintering, the Goa'uld, the Ori and everyone else who have and will try to enslave you, will win. The nation is a chance for you to show others what you can do, that you can manage and organise yourselves, that you can work together without violence, that you can finally act as a nation, that you can give your families security and stability. This is a chance to prove yourself, and so far, you're not doing a good job of it.

"You have two choices – you can call a truce and work through your differences, or you can carry on taking pot shots and wait for another malevolent race to take advantage of you."

A silence fell on the room as the Jaffa mulled over what he had said, Teal'c looking at Daniel proudly, Elizabeth looking a touch surprised as she glanced at the Archaeologist who watched the Jaffa expectantly.

Eventually, Krau'nac approached Bra'tac, both of them walking towards the window overlooking the gateroom and looking down at the Stargate for a moment of posterity. They then looked at each other, and suddenly clasped each other's arms before hugging. Krau'nac then said,

"Master, we wish to negotiate a treaty with you so as to join the government and nation of the Free Jaffa. We have already recanted, but if you wish us to do so once more, we will."

Bra'tac, glancing towards Daniel with a proud smile, "I know of a suitable candidate for writing such a treaty."


	42. Release, and Catching Up

After fighting off several more Wraith ships over in Atlantis, McKay, scared out of his head an infinite times more than he had ever wanted to be, rounded on Cammie, exclaiming as he began to characteristically ramble,

"What are you waiting for? We're going to die out here, thousands of light years away from home, but instead of getting the 'gate back online to get us all back home, you're making us stand and fight aliens who have a much better chance than us. Ok, if you want them to win, fine, but you know, some advance warning of a Kamikaze plot would go down oh-so well…"

Before Sam, Daniel, James, Sheppard or Carson could step in, Cammie straightened up, meeting McKay's eyes with her now cold cerulean gaze, her chin stuck out ever so slightly, and she retorted,

"Look, Uncle Rodney, something is supposed to happen which we only found out after it was too late. You want to get the 'gate back online and attract the Wraith back, leaving the galaxy to suffer those guys then go ahead, but you'll be responsible for all our deaths, something which even you with your record would find it difficult to live down."

Surprised at what she had called him, McKay floundered, speechless, and Sheppard said to Cammie, "Well, why can't you tell us? You were waiting for the Colonel to get knocked up before you told her who you were, and then y'all had a family reunion outside."

Cammie glanced at her brother and father, the older man nodding slightly, and she turned back, saying, "Ok, I'll tell you. We already know that you discovered a series of inscriptions in the disused labs about the Duality. Uncle Cam brought back tablets from off-world around a month before now…

"My theory is that, contrary to what Dad believed as he hadn't seen the Atlantis inscriptions, the Duality is a gift from the Ancients for all your work against the Goa'uld, Replicator and Ori domination of the Milky Way, and earning the title of the 'Fifth race'. We don't have any proof what with the unfortunate turn of events in our timeline, but there must be a reason why Mom and Dad were the only ones able to open the Ark of Truth on Ortus Mallum."

As Sam looked confused but thoughtful as well as surprised at the news of the tablets that Cam had acquired, everyone else but the guests pretty much the same, Daniel said, glancing at Sam, "We think that Sam could be carrying the Duality. Jonas translated one of the tablets Mitchell brought back and it had the Listener AKA Samantha as 'White Fay', which translates into Welsh as 'Gwenhwyfar', and then into old French as 'Guinevere'. The whole thing with Galahad and Guinevere, as well as the links between our names is too much of a coincidence."

James added, "Mom could be carrying this galaxy's last chance."

Radek remarked before murmuring in Czech and crossing himself, "Either that or we are holding out for an outright miracle…"

--------------------

Later that night, as Daniel, thinking of how things could have been had Sam lived in his timeline, lay awake in his quarters, there was a knock at the door. Frowning as he wondered who it was, he got up and opened the door, freezing in surprise on seeing none other than Sam. After their gazes met for a moment, his haunted, hurt-filled one and her red-rimmed, pained one, he closed his eyes and stood aside to let her in.

Closing the door, he turned around to face her, asking, "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged, replying, "I figured I needed to be."

Fighting back his resurfacing urge to pull her into his arms, he folded his arms across his chest and whispered as he walked past her to the open balcony, "I'm not him, Sam. As much as it pains me to say it, we're not married. You're not my Sam."

Following him, she placed a hand on his shoulder and said, fighting back the sudden tears on being rejected, "Daniel…"

He shook his head, continuing, "I'm not him. Your Daniel isn't an old man."

She spun him around and forced him to look her in the eyes as she replied, "Daniel, what I love about you is your inner beauty. I mean, your outer beauty is one heck of a bonus, but it's who you are on the inside that I fell in love with. You do everything with such passion, such conviction… you're still you."

She tenderly dried the stray tears that had escaped his eyes, and, mindful that he technically wasn't her husband, she kissed him on the cheek. He gazed at her sadly, and she said, once more fighting back her tears as she looked at every part of his face,

"You look like you haven't had a decent night's sleep for years."

He whispered, still gazing at her, "That's pretty much true."

He closed his eyes as he finally broke down into tears on remembering the deep pain that he felt day in, day out since he had lost her. She pulled him towards her, wrapping her arms around him as he rested his face in the crook of her neck. He whispered, tentatively kissing her neck,

"I miss you so much."

She ran her fingers through his hair, whispering as she quietly wept, "I miss you too. Thanks to our beautiful daughter, you're not going to be alone any more."

"Oh Sam…"

She kissed the top of his ear, whispering, "Come on, let's go to bed."

He stiffened in her embrace, whispering back, "I can't… I can't sleep with you…"

She couldn't help but chuckle softly as she remarked, "You're just as bad as Cammie… I meant _literally_. We slept together after the torture. It wasn't until we were five months pregnant that we got it together…"

He sighed, whispering with a smile, "I remember."

"Come on."

They lay together, her resting her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest as he rested his hand on her still flat abdomen. He hesitantly reached under her t-shirt to smooth the skin, and he asked,

"Have you thought of any names?"

She sighed, whispering as she watched the rise and fall of his chest in the dim light, "It's all happened so fast, and then the Wraith decided to drop in. Hmm, it's kind of funny what with me wanting to make Christopher… now he's coming with the worst possible timing."

He kissed her hair, and she continued, "But the intelligence from the Genii spy said something about the Duality being named after their forebears. I suppose, if they're indeed twins, we could name them after our parents."

Smiling a lot more than she had ever seen this Daniel smile, he replied, gradually growing serious, "Yeah… Sooo… how are you coping…? You know, being pregnant an' all."

She frowned slightly, remarking, "I've got to say, it's different. I've been through it once before and I remember the, uh, all-day sickness."

He chuckled softly, kissing her forehead as he retorted, "Ya, I remember that too."

"The funny thing is, amongst others, that despite being pregnant, I've not been sick. I was sick, just like you were, through pretty much all of the first trimester."

"Maybe it's something to do with the Duality…"

She looked up at his face as he turned his head to meet her gaze, and she asked, a touch shy, "When are you going? Cammie mentioned something about the time stream."

He replied with a sigh, "To be honest Sam, it wouldn't matter if we died, because we'd still live on in this timeline."

"You could come home with us…"

"And do what? You already have one Daniel, and he'll always remind me of who I could've been. What about Cammie and James? They won't be going to Chicago any time soon. They'd have to have different identities and build themselves up once more. I mean, they're fully capable of it, in fact, more than capable, but I can't do that to our children. As Jack said about mini-Jack, it'll be too weird."

A silence hung over them, both of them listening to the soothing sound of each other's breathing and heartbeats, before she asked, looking fearful, "What happened after… after I didn't come back?"

Staring up at the ceiling, shielding her from his emotions, he replied, his voice laced with emotion nonetheless, "I quit the SGC and I took our babies to Egypt. I spent the best years of my life out there, and I wanted them to have that chance too. Of course, Jack and everyone else took turns trying to get me back but I held out."

As she gazed at him, upset, his voice broke as he continued, "They were happy – they became proficient in Arabic, French and German by the time they hit five and I was home schooling them until they were twelve – that was when we returned to the States."

Not sure that she wanted to hear the answer, she asked, "What about you?"

He met her gaze and replied, tears in his eyes, "I missed you so damn much. Everything reminded me of you, despite you never having been to the Valley of the Kings. I tried to keep it together for the kids but it was hard."

She kissed away his tears before kissing him on the lips. He shut his eyes tight and whispered when she lifted her head to gaze down at him,

"Sam…"

She held him tighter, whispering back, "It hurts to see you like this."

He tentatively kissed her back as she settled down on his shoulder once more, wrapping his arms around her before proceeding to cry once more. He whispered,

"It's been so long since I've held you, Sam. Now, you've only been apart from me… uh, him for roughly a month. In my time, we've been apart for eighteen years."

She kissed away his tears again as her own tears began to fall, and he added, "I love you… I never stopped."

She whispered back, "I don't deserve you Daniel. I love you too."

They settled down once more, her right hand clasping his left, noting not for the first time that he still wore his wedding ring. She kissed the sensitive area of his neck and smiled when she noticed his breathing alter. He remarked, murmuring,

"At my age and after all those years, you're sure to kill me."

"Pfft, says the SGC's Lazarus…"

She sat up and made to pull his t-shirt off, when he sat up too, stopping her, no words in the exchange. She cocked her head and stared at him, an eyebrow raised, and he sheepishly smiled before shutting his eyes tight to fight back the tears that threatened to surge forth as he remembered so much about his life with her, particularly how they had the uncanny ability to communicate without words. Fighting back her own tears, she pulled his t-shirt off and then his boxers, smoothing his stomach when he made to protest.

She broke the silence, whispering as she gazed at his once familiar body, the intimate secrets of which she knew very well, "Just trust me…"

He swallowed, replying hoarsely, "You know I do, but this is cheating on your Daniel."

She closed her eyes briefly and remarked, "Who said that I was going to be on the receiving end?"

He followed her gaze as she looked over every part of his body, startled by what nearly two decades of loneliness and pain had done to him, the changes and strain almost chest-achingly painful. She bit her lip as she noticed how much thinner he was, only retaining a fraction of the muscle he once had. Her tears ran down steadily but she stopped him from reaching up to dry them, before running her fingers through his hair and smoothing his stomach.

She then caressed every part of his body, beginning with his jaw, and then moving on to his neck, his shoulders, his arms, his chest, and his stomach. Avoiding a certain part of his anatomy, she resumed the soothing contact, smoothing the skin of his thighs, his legs and then his feet. It was then that she sat next to him, asking his permission with her eyes.

His eyes welling with tears, he shook his head, but she held the gaze, and eventually, he relented. Holding him in her arms, his head against her bosom, she touched a part of him that made him gasp a little louder than when she had touched his inner thighs. Kissing him on the forehead in reassurance, she continued stroking and smoothing as she rested her cheek on his hair, her other hand smoothing his back as he began to cry between shudders due to him feeling earth-shattering feelings that had faded into his long distant past, marked 'the happy years'.

She whispered, "It's ok – relax."

He whispered back as he clung onto her, "I can't."

"Sure you can… I won't let you go."

Her lips brushed his temple as he swiftly came to a release, shuddering for a long moment in her tightening hold, the Astrophysicist not wanting him to fall over the edge, silently but firmly reminding him of her presence. Breathless and rather overcome, he sniffed, whispering,

"Sorry."

She glanced down, whispering back as she lay him back down, "It's nothing. I'll be back in a minute."

She smiled through her hurt-filled expression as she watched his eyes flicker closed, the previous exertion taking its toll on him due to his metabolism being somewhat lower. She glanced down at herself and winced before going to the ensuite bathroom to clean up, grabbing a t-shirt from the wardrobe on the way.

As the warm water and soap washed away his essence, her resolve broke down and she quietly sobbed against the shower-wall, mindful not to wake him. It had hurt and struck her deeply to see him in so much pain, and to see him reduced to the shadow of the man that she had held in her arms.

Remembering that he could wake up at anytime, she quickly finished off, slipping the t-shirt on, making sure to place her soiled clothes in the laundry basket. She then wet a washcloth, wringing it before returning to the bedroom and sitting on the edge of the bed, behind him. She lightly ran her fingers down his hips as tears ran down her cheeks at how he had changed, and she blamed herself.

Mentally shaking herself, she proceeded to clean him up, and he made a humming noise, murmuring, "Samantha… honey, it's too early."

She chewed her lip in an attempt to prevent herself from sobbing until she finished her task, returning to the bathroom to rinse the cloth. She clung onto the edge of the sink, her knuckles whitening as she quietly sobbed, her shoulders heaving ever so slightly. Taking a deep breath to steady herself as she remembered the life growing within her, she washed her face before rejoining him, lying close to him as she gazed at his furrowing brow.

She lightly brushed his temple with her lips before wrapping an arm around his shoulders, gently smoothing his back as she drifted off to sleep.

--------------------

It was still dark and she was awoken with a start by the sound of a man sobbing. Quickly remembering where she was and who she was sleeping with, she sat up and pulled him into her arms. He came willingly, not completely awake as he whispered,

"I'm so sorry."

Frowning slightly, she whispered, "Why?"

"You didn't want to go but I pushed you. The fact is that I knew you were the best for the job and you proved that what with saving their lives, but at what price to me? I lost you. The only woman that I ever truly loved with all of my heart, and now you're gone. I'll never be able to hold you again or kiss you or… listen to your beautiful voice."

He choked on a sob, rocking in her embrace, and she whispered, kissing his neck as her own tears began to fall, "Daniel, I never left you, and now, if things turn out right, you'll never be alone again."

He began to shiver so, to avoid embarrassment in the morning, she carefully put his boxers and t-shirt back on, the task proving to take a lot longer than she had hoped due to the extra precautions she had taken to not wake him. She lay down, still holding him in her arms and drew the sheet over them. She kissed away his tears, and he whispered, still barely conscious,

"I'll always love you."

She held him tighter, whispering back as her own tears rushed forth, "Oh Daniel…"

--------------------

The next morning, he woke up with a start to find her holding him, their bodies very close. He shut his eyes tightly before deciding how best to extricate himself from her embrace. No such luck. Her eyes flickered open, her blue-grey gaze meeting his of cerulean, and she looked fearful of his expression. Not breaking the eye contact, she reached up to caress his jaw, and he whispered, fighting back his tears,

"I'm sorry Sam. I lost it last night and…"

She shook her head, kissing him on the tip of his nose and replying, "No apologies – you needed it."

He hesitantly kissed her on the cheek, saying, "Thank you…"

He sighed and continued as he proceeded to stare at the ceiling, "Sam, I can't… if you're looking for me to replace your Daniel, I don't think I can just pick up where we left off… I'm way too old for starters."

She placed a finger on his lips, silencing him, and replied, "No, I'm not looking for a replacement. You're in so much pain and I feel guilty…"

"Oh God, no…"

"It was ultimately my choice to go and I did, but you've had to suffer. Last night, I gave you relief. I promise, when I get home again, I'll tell him everything. He'll understand – he's you after all."

He slowly stroked her cheek, and she said, smiling slightly, "Go on and shower – we could get another emergency… I've just got to sneak off back to my quarters before the guys say something crude."

She kissed him quickly, continuing, "I'll see you in the Mess in fifteen minutes… don't think I won't find someway to get SG-3 to come search for you."

Before he could reply, she quickly fled the room, warily stalking the corridors.

--------------------

Eating breakfast with Jennifer, Sam noticed how much happier her second-in-command appeared. Propping her chin up with palm, she asked coyly,

"So… what have you been up to?"

Startled, Jennifer asked in return, "What else would I be up to other than helping Rod out?"

"Hmm, I think it's more than that…"

"Funny, Evan seemed to think the same thing…"

Realising that she had said too much, the younger woman quickly shut her mouth, returning her attention to her food. Sam, intrigued and surprised, remarked,

"Oh ho! Evan?! Ok… what happened?"

Jennifer blushed, replying quietly, not meeting her gaze, "We've started a relationship."

Pleasantly surprised that the linguist had not only found happiness, but that her prediction had been right, Sam squeezed her hand and said, grinning,

"Honey, I'm so happy for you… I mentioned to Daniel ages ago that you two would go together… so, how did it start?"

Amused at Sam's interest, Jennifer met her gaze and replied, her cheeks rosy, "It was the night you found out that you're pregnant… I took a break from helping Rod and went on a walk. I came across Evan painting, and we got talking – he's really friendly. He was teasing me about… uh, something, and then we started kissing."

Raising an eyebrow, Sam asked, "What happened that led you that way?"

"I… it was one of those cliché things when everything suddenly become serious. I got embarrassed and was about to go back to Rod, when I made to kiss him on the cheek. He turned at that moment, and we ended up… kissing… twice."

Smiling at the younger woman's flaming face, Sam said, squeezing her hand again, "Good luck with that. He's a very nice man – SG-1's worked with him and his old team quite a few times."

Just then Lorne appeared, looking a tad nervous on seeing Sam sat with Jennifer but she smiled at him, and he approached them. He said,

"Colonel… Jennifer."

Sam replied, smirking, "Major…"

Jennifer, reddening, replied as she smiled up at him, "Evan."

He leant down to kiss her briefly and made to move away. At that moment, she sighted Daniel entering the Mess with James, so she stood up, saying,

"Major, don't move on my account…"

He thanked her as she stood, and she clapped him on the shoulder before taking her tray to another table. Daniel and James joined her after choosing their food, and Sam asked,

"Where's Cammie?"

Daniel smiled slightly as James replied, "_Cameron_ is helping Uncle Rod and Uncle Radek out… I suggested getting them some breakfast but they were kind of out of it."

Sam, raising an eyebrow briefly, remarked, "_Kind of out of it_?"

"Well… it's like Uncle Bill, Uncle Jay and Auntie Chloe… sort of."

Smiling despite a sudden surge of pain as she realised how he had come to know her friends in such a manner, and she remarked, patting his hand, "Go on, a growing boy like you needs to eat."

James remarked, sounding an awful lot like Daniel, "Mom, I stopped being a boy a long time ago."

As Sam smirked, Daniel retorted, "Junior, you'll always be a boy in our eyes… now do what your mother told you."

The younger man proceeding to eat after making a face in his father's direction, Sam asked Daniel, feigning innocence, "Sleep well?"

Raising his eyebrows briefly in disbelief, Daniel replied, trying hard not to smile, "Like a log."

She reached over for his hand, squeezing it as she smiled at him fondly, and James grimaced, remarking as took his tray away, "I think I'll go about supplying my sister and her work gang with food… Uncle Rod gets all hypoglycaemic and nasty when he doesn't get any… ahem, food that is."

The younger man practically fled from the room, past a bemused Sheppard and Ronon, the two men parting for him. As Daniel looked embarrassed, Sam asked in disbelief,

"So… what's his IQ again?!"

"185. That was _Uncle_ Jack's influence."

Blinking in surprise, she asked, "185?"

"Oh yes… I did tell you that they were scary. Cammie's 180, something which really gets her goat."

After nodding in greeting at Sheppard and Ronon who passed them to another table, shortly joined by Teyla who smiled at her, Sam asked,

"Ok… those two are twenty, on various PhD programmes with incredibly high IQs… and they're working at the SGC?!"

Daniel nodded and replied, "It's a part-time thing… and… they broke into the base."

Laughing before covering her mouth to cover the sound, she asked, "Really?!"

His eyes dancing with suppressed laughter, he replied, "Oh yes… what did I tell you about Uncle Jack? Well, they take after you…"

As she gazed at him, gently rubbing the back of the hand that she held, he continued with a distant smile, "Mitchell wanted them onboard from the start, knowing how clever they are. He won't let them go on military missions though, although one time, Cammie stole a cargo ship to rescue SG-19 from a Lucian Alliance controlled planet. Both of them are incredibly valuable assets to the mountain, and I'm so proud of them."

Aware of their company, he simply smiled slightly, and she replied, "I am too… Have they started dating?"

Raising his eyebrows briefly, he remarked, "You'd think that with them being bigger geeks than we ever were…"

She jokingly objected, "Hey!"

"Oh come on… you're telling me that you were Homecoming Queen!?"

She ducked her head briefly, remarking, "I missed most of the parties at high school."

She gestured for him to continue, curious, and he did, "Anyway… James is… he's scary. I've seen how girls look at him and he doesn't see what they see."

"That sounds awfully familiar."

He blushed, a mock-glare on his face, and she nodded.

"He and Charlie have been on-off this past year, especially what with them being so damn crazy when it comes to each other…"

Surprised and admittedly a touch shocked, she asked, "Charlie? Oh my… he's…"

Amused, he replied, "Charlie's a girl… He has been with a boy though… um, during graduate school, he was seeing someone, but it didn't work out."

"Wow… you know I'm not homophobic… it's just a surprise because none of our friends are gay and all I have to go by is Will and Grace."

Smiling slightly, he remarked, "How inaccurate that is…"

"So… you mentioned the girl's name – I presume that you're assuming that I would know her."

He gazed at her for a moment before leaning closer, making sure that the others were out of earshot, "Charlotte Weir-Sheppard."

Her eyes widening in surprise, she exclaimed, "What?!"

After he gestured for her to keep her voice down what with Sheppard being a couple of tables away, she nodded, whispering an apology before looking at him quizzically. He nodded, smiling slightly and whispered,

"It's a girl."

"Oh… that is so sweet! Who does she look like?"

Holding up a hand briefly, he remarked, "What about causality?!"

She retorted, "Hey, you spring this on me and then try to escape by spouting Physics… Fine, I won't ask… I suppose that's why you won't tell me about the others…?"

He shrugged, replying, "I best not. I just figured that you'd want to know about our babies."

Smiling proudly, she asked, "How about Cammie?"

"Oh… most of the boys that showed interest in her, she turned them down. Unlike James who sometimes has a tendency to think with his… ahem, other head, she analyses potential dates… she's got a soft spot for Francis Mitchell though but she'll be damned if she'll actually admit it."

She made a face, remarking, "She went out with Cam's Dad?! If I ever see that old goat, I string him up by his scrot…"

Amused as well as reddening, he shook his head and whispered, "Mitchell and Vala's son… he'll be born… oh… next Christmas. You've got to promise me that you won't tell anyone otherwise…"

"Oh, I got you… wow."

He gazed at her, a hint of sadness in his eyes, and she squeezed his hand before they both turned on hearing Sheppard, Ronon and a couple of other Air Force personnel cheer and wolf-whistle. She called over her shoulder,

"What are you guys jeering at?!"

Ronon replied, smirking, "Major Lorne of course!"

Still holding hands, Sam and Daniel turned to see a very embarrassed Lorne and Jennifer leaving the Mess hastily. Sam turned back to the other table, raising an eyebrow at a smirking Sheppard who tried to be casual with oatmeal, and Teyla said, smiling,

"Major Lorne and Jennifer were involved in a rather passionate kiss."

Incredulous, Sam remarked with a smirk as she and Daniel got up to clear their trays, "You guys are so childish… and you all need lives."

Ronon grumbled, remarking to their retreating figures as Sheppard clapped him on the back, "We already have lives… if we didn't, we'd be dead."


	43. Healing

A couple of months later, after Cassie had left for Mozambique as part of Medicins sans Frontières, mini-Jack returning to Harvard, Daniel returned home after supervising the formation of the Free Jaffa Council, hoping that this time, it would survive the long road ahead.

After a customary verbal sparring with Jack, and hugging the twins, he went upstairs to look for Elizabeth, peeking around the door when she didn't answer his knock to see her napping, her larger bump taking its toll on her. He smiled slightly before making to go downstairs again, when she woke up.

He said, hitching his glasses up, "Hi, uh, sorry – just wondering how you're doing."

She winced as she sat up, cushioning her back with several pillows, and she replied, patting the edge of the bed in a gesture for him to sit, "Really, really tired."

He sat down and asked, "Can I get you anything?"

She shook her head, saying, "I just need to rest."

He smoothed her forehead, whispering an apology and was about to get up to leave, when she said quietly, "Stay."

He resumed his seat and as he held her hand in his, he said, "I'm really sorry for missing the Ultrasound today… but…"

Patting the hand that held hers with her other one, she replied with a fond smile, "I know… Jonas was there. It's ok."

Smiling at her over his glasses, he asked, "So… what is it?"

She chewed her lip and replied in a whisper, thinking about Sheppard, "A girl."

Trying fruitlessly to make her smile, he remarked, "Oh… you wanted a boy?"

She shook her head and he realised what, or rather who she was thinking about, so he just said, "Oh."

As he smoothed the skin of the back of her hand with his thumbs, he asked, "Have you thought of names?"

Gazing down at their hands, she replied quietly, "I've been thinking about naming her after my mother… Charlotte."

Noting how sad she appeared, he pulled her into a hug, whispering against her hair, "You'll be fine Liz – you're not alone."

Blinking back tears, she replied, "Thank you."

They parted, him making sure that her back was rested suitably, and she said, "I miss Cassie… as much as she used to get on my nerves sometimes, I liked her."

Smiling wistfully, he replied, "She's a great girl… she's got Janet's fieriness."

"I'll say."

"Hey, how about I take you out tonight?"

Surprised, she raised her eyebrow briefly, remarking, "Won't people talk?"

He shrugged, replying, "It doesn't matter."

Smiling slightly, she asked, "What about those powers of yours?"

"Well… it could be interesting saying something like _nou incursis ani_ (_we are overtaken_) in the middle of O'Malley's…"

"Well, if you want to scare the General even more…"

"Now that is tempting."

She sighed and said, "I don't want to cause trouble for you and Sam… and you'll get a bad reputation. How about take-out downstairs?"

Smiling, he remarked, "Oh, that brings back the memories… When Sam was pregnant, _nou…_" (_we_)

Noting her expression, he frowned slightly, and she remarked, looking increasingly concerned, "Please tell me that that was just an example of your peculiar sense of humour…"

"_Quoi?_" (_Why?_)

"Oh dear… Daniel, listen to me – you're speaking Ancient again."

"Oh… _Stercus…_" _(Sh-t)_

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before saying, "Sorry… it happens from time to time. The Tok'ra said that the Ancient knowledge in my head is slowly filtering into my consciousness and that it's different from Jack in that my mind's expanding… although I haven't had resurfacing memories like I did before we went to rescue Bra'tac and Ry'ac from Erebus."

She squeezed his hand briefly and said, "Daniel, I want you to look after yourself. From previous experience, we know what Ancient knowledge can do to a human brain."

Sensing that she was feeling insecure and upset, he nodded, whispering, "I will."

She was about to say something when she paused in surprise. Concerned, he asked, "Liz?"

A look of amazement on her face, she touched her swollen abdomen, lifting her t-shirt in the process. She met his gaze and said, tears in her eyes,

"She kicked."

Smiling fondly at memories of feeling both James and Cammie kick, he gazed at her, and she quickly lifted his hand to her abdomen. He couldn't help but sniff back tears as he felt another kick, and he gently smoothed the bump, whispering,

"Hello in there."

He pulled her into a hug again as she began to cry at Sheppard not being there, and he just about managed to stop himself from crying at not only memories of his children, but at still not receiving any contact from Sam. He could only hope for the best, but it was hard when the possibility that she and the rest were gone was in the picture.

--------------------

As SG-1, Jack, Daniel and Elizabeth sat around the kitchen table with a lot of take-out. They were laughing and talking about work, chiefly the Jaffa Council, when Cam made to open the fridge to retrieve a beer. Before his horrified friends could so much as shout, a Darth Vader-shaped cookie jar, which had somehow been precariously placed right on the edge on top of the fridge, fell right onto the Colonel's hand, the heavy ceramic cracking but not before causing him severe pain.

Everyone gathered around him, Cam clutched his hand as Teal'c moved the jar, the Colonel murmuring as he grimaced, "Aw, that's broken alright…"

Jack whipped out his mobile making to call Carolyn when Daniel, as if in a trance, silently held Cam's injured hand. As everyone watched, surprised, he closed his eyes and focussed as a white light emanated from his hand, bathing Cam's. Jack's mouth practically hung open, his thumb in mid-dial, and Cam, confused, said,

"The pain's easing up…"

Teal'c just about managed to catch the Archaeologist when the light disappeared, his body slumping to the ground. Cam, really spooked, flexed his hand to discover that it wasn't broken any more. Jack, snapping out of his gape-a-thon, resumed dialling as he asked,

"Mitchell?"

"Sir, it's not broken any more… Jackson healed me."

As Vala held the Archaeologist close to her body, tears in her eyes, Cam smoothed his brow, saying, "Come on Jackson, don't bail out on us now."

Teal'c, not caring what anyone else thought, knelt at Daniel's side, whispering, "I will be forced to carry out Samantha's threat if you cease to be."

Elizabeth, moving to a closer chair to the Archaeologist, ran her fingers through Daniel's hair, saying, "Come on Daniel."

Jonas, holding one of his hands, asked, "What do you think happened?"

Cam replied, glancing at an upset Vala, "It took a lot out of him… like the time he had Merlin in him."

As Jack shut his mobile after practically exclaiming down the phone at Carolyn, he knelt down, wincing at the strain in his knees and he said, "Daniel, don't make me make it an order. Get your ass up."

A few moments passed, Teal'c going to the door to await Carolyn, and Daniel stirred slightly, murmuring, "Te amo."

As everyone but Elizabeth looked towards Jonas, he said, "Uh, it's Latin – he just said 'I love you'."

Cam exhaled and Jack remarked, "Carter's been away for too damn long – he's gone gay."

Jonas rolled his eyes at Jack's remark, and Vala smoothed Daniel's brow, saying, "Daniel…"

He stirred further, whispering, "Ego videum de Anquietas ani."

Jonas sighed as most of everyone else looked at him, and Elizabeth said, her face stricken, "He said '_I am (the) legacy of the Ancients_'."

Jack muttered under his breath before saying, "He said something about ego and videos before – that time when he was hovering."

Carolyn arrived, putting an end to further discussion, and she knelt down by the Archaeologist after Jack had moved. She lifted his eyelids, shining a light into each eye before feeling his forehead. She looked up at Jack and said,

"Sir, he'll most likely be alright after a sleep but I think it'll be best to take him back to the mountain."

"No argument from me… I'll tag along."

He turned to the rest, saying, "I'll phone later. T?"

Teal'c wordlessly helped Jack to support the Archaeologist between them, the Doctor following them, dragging Cam with her to get checked out back at the mountain to make sure that his hand was truly healed.


	44. Iason

_The journal extract is real… from a journal called the Athena Review (2001; volume III, no. 1__; page 73) – the article is "Pomp and Splendor: Religious Textiles from the Armenian Church Collections in Istanbul," by Marlene R. Breu (Western Michigan University) and Ronald T. Marchese (University of Minnesota at Duluth_

_Iason, the chapter title, means 'healer' in Ancient Greek, and there's a theory that Jason (of Jason and the Argonauts fame) wasn't actually called Jason, Jason being a title due to his skill with medicinal herbs and whatnot learnt from Cheiron the Centaur._

--------------------

Meeting Jack, Teal'c and Cam in the observation room, overlooking their friend lying unconscious in the Infirmary below, Carolyn said, gazing down at him briefly through the window,

"Despite his body rewiring itself in line with previous changes, his energy reserves have been seriously depleted. It's as though he can't cope… yet. His brain wave pattern suggests further elevated neural activity. The weird thing, amongst others, is that, not only did he heal Cam's hand completely, but since he's been here, I've been able to discharge SG-18."

Cam asked, confused, "The team that got badly whupped by some guys from the Lucian Alliance?"

"Oh yes. It looks like that he can heal without the white light… it's like he's unconsciously doing it. Did you notice any odd behaviour earlier?"

Jack replied, scratching the back of his head, "Doctor Weir did mention that he slipped into Ancient this afternoon. It kinda spooked the poor girl, and, well, you know about his little murmurings while he was out."

"Sir, I'd like to keep him in overnight to make sure that he'll be alright. The Tok'ra concluded that his mind was expanding but I'd rather check him out the old-fashioned way."

"No objections from me… uh, we've left two aliens back at Daniel's house…"

When Teal'c raised an eyebrow, he continued, "No offence T, but there could be trouble if the Trust has been monitoring us again… let's not forget that the only Earth-born humans are a pregnant woman and two toddlers, the latter two having Naquadah and protein markers in their blood."

Cam, glancing through the window at Daniel, said, "I'll go Sir… you and Teal'c can watch over him."

Jack clapped him on the shoulder, saying, "We'll make sure to call ya, Mitchell."

With a pained expression, Cam bade his friends farewell, remarking, "I wanna know the minute he wakes up."

Teal'c replied, smiling slightly, "You will know should the weather worsen."

As Cam smiled slightly before leaving, Jack remarked, "Ah T, don't ever stop making the observations – they're cool."

--------------------

During Jack's shift in 'the chair' as each of the classic line-up of SG-1 referred to the chair next to particularly Daniel's designated bed in the Infirmary, he felt his knees cool, which he thought strange as they usually felt hot and swollen during the damp weather that Colorado was getting just lately.

Curious, he got up before kneeling on the floor, grimacing in anticipation of the grinding pain in his knees, but to his surprise, there was none. As a curious albeit bemused Carolyn approached him, he looked up at her, saying,

"My knees are better."

Surprised, she checked the monitors, remarking as she double-checked his heartbeat with her stethoscope. Jack, smiling slightly, got up and held Daniel's hand before looking across at Carolyn, who said, concerned,

"Sir, his heartbeat momentarily peaked, and his neural activity has increased even further. I've said it before but I'll say it again – he really shouldn't be alive."

"Oh come on Doc, let me be the cynical one…that bad, huh?"

"I don't know whether it's bad… although I am concerned about the possibility of conditions ranging from Arrhythmia to MS to Epilepsy…"

He peered at the IV connected to Daniel's arm, and he asked, "Doc?"

She looked back at him from a monitor, and he continued, gesturing to the bag, "You know you mentioned that his energy was down…"

Catching on but surprised nonetheless taking into account the General's reputation, "It's a concentrated solution already, Sir – I've got a Nurse to prepare a stronger one should this one be insufficient."

He nodded slightly, replying, "Ah."

"How is he?"

They both looked up in surprise to see none other than Landry in dress blues standing at the foot of the bed, his cap under his arm. Jack raised his eyebrows briefly, remarking,

"_This_ is a surprise."

Carolyn, smiling slightly, said, "Dad."

Landry replied with a nod, "Carolyn."

He then turned to Jack and said, looking increasingly worried, "Jack – how is he?"

Jack, giving the hand he held a squeeze as he gazed over the Archaeologist's features, smoothing his forehead with his other hand, replied, "He overdid it with the gnarly powers again, Hank, and despite being out for the count, he's still healing people. Apparently SG-18 are all peachy now despite coming here earlier looking like horror movie extras."

He turned back to Hank and continued, "It's gonna be a close one. On the bright side… just being here, he's healed my knees."

Surprised, Landry said, "But you've had three Arthroscopies…"

"It's those powers he's getting…"

Landry remarked with a raised eyebrow, "I _do_ read the reports, Jack."

"Right."

He turned his attention back to Daniel, and Landry asked quietly, "How long have you been here?"

"A couple of hours…"

"Wide definition on the word 'couple'…?"

"You bet."

As Carolyn wandered off to her office, Landry asked, "How about if I take over for you? You look like you could use a coffee and a rest."

"Hank, I can't leave him and if on the off chance I did, Teal'c's next and you know how he gets… I don't think being a 'Nam veteran would give you any sort of advantage."

"I'll tell you if he wakes up."

Jack, despite his tiredness showing, replied, gesturing to another chair, "Nope, go warm up another chair – you're not getting this one."

Smiling slightly before sitting on the chair on the other side of the bed from Jack, Landry asked, "You care about him a lot, don't you?"

Jack replied quietly as he gazed at the face of his unconscious friend, "More than you know… Despite being a geek and a pain in the ass, I… I may have come to like him. Hell, the man's like a brother to me."

He met Landry's gaze, and the Brigadier-General was surprised to see an inordinate amount of not only pain but fear in the Major-General's eyes, he continued, "It'd kill me to lose him again, Hank."

Landry sighed, saying as he reached up a hand to smooth the younger man's brow, "It's Daniel Jackson – from what I've heard before I came here, as well as what I've seen while I was here, the man's damn near immortal. He'll be fine."

Jack whispered as his gaze shifted to Daniel's face, "I hope so."

The sound of footsteps made the two Generals look up to see Hammond walking towards them, dressed in civilian clothes. Both men stood, Jack offering him his seat, which he declined as he pulled up another seat, and he asked,

"How's he doing?"

Jack replied, "He'll pull through George… he better do. Those powers are taking a lot out of him."

Hammond stood over Daniel's unconscious form and smoothed the younger man's brow, a fatherly sadness in his eyes. Jack added, smiling briefly,

"He healed my knees."

Hammond turned to him in surprise, saying, "But you've had the injuries since basic training."

"I'm tellin' ya – I was just sat here and they cooled down all of a sudden. I can kneel and… wow. He cured SG-18 just by being here and they were pretty messed up."

"What happened to get him put in here? All I heard was that he collapsed."

"He healed Mitchell's broken hand. We were all having dinner when that big honkin' Darth Vader of a cookie jar _Feljer_ got those two for a wedding present fell down when Mitchell was reaching in the fridge for a beer. It broke his hand an' Daniel here just did the Ancient thing on him and healed him before collapsing."

"He never ceases to amaze me."

"Oh, I think we can all say that."

--------------------

During the night, as Jack, refusing to leave Daniel's side, and Teal'c, held a vigil for their friend, they heard murmuring. They instantly woke from their various stages of slumber and/or attempted Kel-no-reem to see Daniel frowning as he murmured, looking as if he was in the middle of a bad dream.

As both men tried to think of what to do, Daniel sat bolt upright with a shout, panting for breath, his eyes looking almost wild as his forehead glistened with sweat. Jack, already standing along with Teal'c as Carolyn came running towards them, said,

"Daniel? Daniel, we're here."

The Archaeologist hadn't appeared to have heard him, so Jack pulled him into a hug as Carolyn checked the monitors before waiting to check her patient. Daniel clung onto his friend with surprising strength, and began to cry, whispering, his voice breaking,

"I failed them, Jack… I failed them."

Confused, Jack gazed down him, and asked, "Who?"

The answer took them all by surprise, "Abydos."

Jack, raising his eyebrows, asked casually, "You remember?"

Daniel nodded in his embrace, whispering against his shoulder, "I made a bargain with Anubis and he promised that he wouldn't touch Abydos if I gave him the Eye, but he still did…"

"Now you listen here – that was all Anubis' fault and you know it. The guy got what was coming to him anyway. Don't you dare pile all the guilt on yourself again, d'ya hear me?! I mean it. If it means hijacking the Odyssey, I'll get Carter back home to give you a good talking to."

"But Jack…"

"Don't you dare… As for trying to make me go totally white… we'll talk later. Now come on, Carolyn's gotta do some stuff to you…"

Jack lay his friend down before whispering in his ear before letting go and straightening up, "Thanks for the knees by the way."

Daniel frowned up at him, confused, asking as Carolyn proceeded to check him out, "Jack?"

"Later. I gotta go phone Mitchell… Doc?"

Carolyn looked at him briefly, replying, "Sure… go ahead."

Jack, smiling fondly at Daniel, went to Carolyn's office as Teal'c took his place, holding the Archaeologist's hand. Daniel asked him,

"How long was I out for?"

"Seven hours. You have the healing power of the Ancients."

Frowning in surprise and confusion, Daniel asked, "I have?"

"Indeed… you healed ColonelMitchell's broken hand. While you were unconscious, you healed SG-18, as well as O'Neill's knees."

"I did?"

"I would not misrepresent the truth, DanielJackson – especially to you."

"Wow."

"Indubitably."

As Carolyn straightened up from her examination of Daniel, Teal'c asked, "Is Abydos the only event of your time among the Ascended that you recall?"

Frowning as he pinched the bridge of his nose, discovering to his brief surprise that he had no glasses on, Daniel replied, his eyes closed, "I'm getting some more… um, Jack being tortured, Sam being experimented on and…"

He opened his eyes and continued with a bemused expression, "An alternate universe where you, Sam, Jack… Jonas and Sergeant Siler were fire-fighters and I was a Psychologist."

As Carolyn raised an eyebrow in mild amusement, Teal'c smiled slightly and said, "That was a delusion in which you assisted me and kept Bra'tac and myself alive when we were forced by necessity to share a symbiote. Without you, we would surely have died."

Daniel replied, looking confused, "I heard about the ambush and you told me about me helping you but… you never mentioned the, uh, dream… it's weird."

"Indeed."

Teal'c asked Carolyn, "Is DanielJackson well enough to be discharged?"

Carolyn exhaled as she looked at the Archaeologist who was now holding his glasses up, peering through them, and said, "Personally, I'd like to keep him in but his readings have stabilised…"

Jack returned and she continued, "… and his electrolyte balance is within acceptable parameters."

Daniel's actions making her more and more curious, she suddenly looked at him and asked, "Daniel?"

Daniel looked up briefly before returning his attention to his glasses and saying in an awed voice, "I don't need my glasses any more…"

He put his glasses on and took them off to illustrate this point as his friends looked on with surprise. Jack reached for an Archaeology journal that he had picked up for the Archaeologist, handing it to him in an unmistakable invitation, opening it to a random page. Daniel, frowning slightly, read as Landry and Hammond entered the scene,

"_Armenian culture has deep roots and a distinctive nature, retained largely by a strong adherence to its language, art forms, and religion despite a long history of political instability. Armenia became a Christian state between AD 301-314 when Saint Gregory the Illuminator converted King Tiridates II, about the time…_"

Jack snatched the journal away, earning a scowl from the Archaeologist, and Hammond asked, "Jack?"

"It seems that Dannyboy is a plain ol' two-eyes now."

Daniel replied, rolling his eyes, "Jaaack…"

He then turned to the two other Generals, surprised, and said, the first name earning a quickly suppressed snicker from Jack, "Uncle George… General Landry."

Landry nodded, smiling slightly, and Hammond, smiling fondly, moved closer to the bed and held the Archaeologist's hand, asking, "How are you, son?"

"I'm fine thanks… um, what are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd drop in to see that nephew-in-law of mine…"

Jack asked Carolyn, "Is he clear to go?"

Carolyn, admittedly out of her depth, replied with a shrug, "Ok…"

She turned to Daniel and said, "Daniel, I want you to increase your fluid intake and take lots of rest. You'll also need a high energy diet to compensate for the changes and your increased metabolism."

She wrote a few notes down on her prescription pad and continued, an eyebrow raised, "I'll write a few suggestions down so there's no excuse to skip meals or make the weather worse."

She smiled and added as she handed him a slip of paper, "Look after yourself. I've heard of Sam's threat so you can be sure that you'll have a whole heap of your friends coming after you if you don't. Go on, get out of my Infirmary…"

Jack remarked, affectionately ruffling Daniel's hair, "If you got Air miles for every time you were in here, you'd be one jet-setting Archaeologist."


	45. Whitelighter Blast

Round about the middle of December, Sam, now five months pregnant, hastily worked with McKay, Radek and Cammie in creating another defence means for the city now that the Wraith ships had adapted to most of their current defences, several ships in orbit of the city, their weapons powered. Daniel, like everyone else, worried about not only their present situation but her condition too, leant in the doorway with James, ready to jump to her aid within seconds.

Suddenly, after a series of blasts that had startled them already, Muniz called into her headset, sounding panicked,

"Ma'am, the shield is down and… enemy ships are transmitting a matter stream in your vicinity!"

Before she could reply, they were startled by the beaming in of several Wraith soldiers, Sam shouting back over her headset, brandishing her sidearm, "Get the Asgard cannons armed and ready!"

She shouted to the others, "Don't let them touch you!"

Sheppard, Lorne, Ronon, Teyla and a number of other Air Force personnel soon arrived with various weapons at the ready, Sam giving them the order to fire as Cammie and James stood in front of her. The shots deflected off the soldiers who fired back with stunners, rendering Ronon unconscious. The rest leapt out of the way before resuming their firing, Sheppard dodging the shots as he ran in to try and get Sam out.

Sam attempted to fire but the Wraith used their stunners to knock her human shield unconscious. She watched in horror as McKay and Radek went down, and then Cammie, James and Sheppard. Daniel, horrified, instantly stepped in front of Sam as the Wraith now aimed lethal weapons at Sam, the shots from Teyla and Lorne's team still having no effect, as well as shots that no-one seemed to notice, coming from somewhere else in the room.

Sam, shocked, tried to push Daniel out of the way but he wouldn't move, holding her firmly behind him, and it felt as if everything was going in slow motion as she and the rest watched, aghast, as several energy beams flew towards the Archaeologist, his eyes shut as he whispered, ready to lay his life down for her,

"I love you, Sam."

To everyone's surprise, the beams stopped a good inch away from his face, Daniel opening his eyes tentatively before frowning in horrified fascination. He slowly moved to the side but the beams didn't move.

Suddenly Sam gasped as she felt something stir within her, and as he turned towards her, she held onto his shoulder, her eyes tightly shut as a brilliant flash of white light radiated from her swollen abdomen, swamping the entire room. He turned back to see the Wraith disappear before his eyes.

Curious, he removed Sam's headset and listened as Muniz called, sounding bemused, "Enemy ships have been destroyed. A large energy blast has wiped them out… Wow."

He replaced her headset as the white light disappeared, and she collapsed. He caught her just in time as the unconscious awoke, a shocked Teyla and Lorne explaining quickly to them what had happened. Daniel asked, gazing down at Sam in his arms,

"Sam?"

Her eyes still closed, she whispered, getting her breath back, "I'm tired… I don't know what happened."

With a strength that he hadn't had since before her death in his timeline, he lifted her up in his arms and carried her to the medical bay. Without a word, everyone followed him, still amazed at what had happened.

After Daniel had laid her down upon a gurney in the medical bay and explained to Carson what had happened, James asked him, "Dad? Is it to do with the prophecy?"

Daniel, looking increasingly overcome with a wide range of emotions as Carson and Brightman checked out a now unconscious Sam, Cammie protectively wrapping her arms around her father, replied, "I don't know."

James then asked Carson, "Is Mom going to be ok?"

As Brightman wrote up some notes, Carson replied, gazing down at Sam, "Aye, she'll be fine… we'll need to do an Ultrasound to check the wee bairns out. It looks as though she's lost a lot of energy and we'll have to wait for the results from the blood test we just did."

She then said, pointing to one side of the medical facility, "Ok, everyone who got knocked out, arrange yourselves to that side of the bay… everyone else get out. The Colonel needs to rest."

She looked at Daniel, and continued, "That includes you… you can come back in a few hours. She won't be alone."

Teyla placed her hand on Daniel's shoulder, meeting his gaze for a moment, and he kissed Sam on the forehead before leaving with the Athosian, and everyone else who hadn't been knocked out, Ronon grumbling an obscenity at having to stay in the facility.

--------------------

A few hours having passed, Daniel, leaving the twins in the Mess, returned to the medical bay to check on Sam. He found her sat next to Jennifer on the edge of the gurney, talking to Carson. The three women looked up on sensing his presence, Sam saying with a smile,

"Hey, you."

Carson reached for the files that contained the test results that Sam hadn't wanted to hear until Daniel was with them, and Daniel asked, looking worried as he looked for signs of anything that would suggest she wasn't ok, "How are you?"

Still smiling, Sam replied as Jennifer slid off the gurney, "Oh, just fine… thank you, by the way."

She kissed him on the cheek as he sat next to her, and he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion, "Why? I didn't do anything."

"Oh, you did."

She looked up at Carson and asked, "Carson?"

The Doctor, smiling slightly, said as she read through the files, "Ok… everything's fine… babies are fine, you're fine… except… you now have the Ancient gene. The fluid we extracted from your womb contains the ATA gene too."

Sam and Daniel, both surprised, exchanged a glance, Sam saying, "Um, I don't have the gene and neither does Daniel… What's going on?"

Carson replied, "I don't know… you've suddenly got the gene and I'm thinking it's got something to do with your whitelighter stint earlier as well as those babies of yours bypassing your contraceptive shots."

Jennifer said, looking surprised, "It could be to do with the Duality…"

Daniel remarked, "But the Ancients have a non-interference rule."

Carson added with a smile to Sam, "But it's harmless and you're fine, so you're free to go… just don't go doing that again for a while."

Sam retorted, amused, "As if I had a choice in it… it just happened."

--------------------

That night, after everyone took turns patting her bump, Sam lay awake in her quarters, feeling scared at what she was carrying and what lay ahead, as well as what could have happened. The Wraith had been ready to kill her, as evidenced by their switching of weapons, and she shut her eyes tightly, tears falling as she wondered what would have happened had she died then, taking not only her life but those of the babies within her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door, and she sat up with a start to see Daniel silhouetted against the lighting of the corridor. She asked, startled,

"How did you…?"

He replied as he stepped into the dim light after shutting the door behind him, "You're forgetting that our babies are geniuses… James hacked the door controls while doing a fair impression of Jack."

He sat on the edge of her bed as she cushioned her back with pillows, and asked, "How are you feeling?"

She gazed at him, the answer in her eyes, and he noticed the tearstains on her face. He reached up to caress her cheek with his thumb, sadness in his eyes, and she said quietly, "I'm scared."

He pulled her into a loose hug, whispering, "You've got nothing to be scared about Sam. You're going to be fine."

She sniffed back more tears, replying, "I nearly lost you again…"

He gently kissed her neck and said, "I'm not him."

"I don't care. That doesn't change a thing. If I didn't have these… things in me, you would have died."

Still holding her, he asked, "Do you want me to stay here tonight?"

She nodded, looking and feeling broken, and he said, "Ok," knowing how much it had taken her to show her vulnerable side to him, despite him not really being her Daniel. Pulling her into his lap, he laid them both down and he remarked with a slight smile, tightening his hold on her,

"You just had to outdo me… we were one baby each but now it's going to be one-three."

She chuckled against his chest, whispering, "You can compete if you want…"

He kissed her forehead as he ran his fingers through her hair, and she continued, "Just don't let me lose you again, Daniel. I don't know what I'd do without you. I spent a year without you once, and I didn't care that what you had done was of some crazy cosmic significance… I just wanted you back."

Surprised, he said, "I won't leave you Sam… when you're finished here, you'll still have the other me. You'll never be alone."


	46. Atlantaean Christmas

At Christmas, most of the minimal Atlantis personnel upheld the Christmas spirit, even though every one of them missed their friends, family or anyone else that they couldn't share the festivities with, particularly the crew of the Daedalus.

Despite trying to be strong for not only the people under her command but the life growing within her, Sam lie in bed, reluctant to face what was supposed to be her and Daniel's first Christmas together as husband and wife. True, Daniel was there, but he technically wasn't her Daniel, tempting as it had been to see him as such.

She sighed as she opened the scarab that she had never removed from around her neck, looking at the small pictures that folded out, and she wished that she could be home again, if only for a day, but she knew all too well that that was impossible. They couldn't predict when the next attack would be so 'gate travel was prohibited until they came across proof that the wormhole signature wasn't being tracked. And even if they could activate the 'gate, she couldn't risk going through the active event horizon in her condition.

She reached into the drawer of her nightstand for a pile of photos that she kept there, and looked through them with a wistful smile. Just as she chuckled at a picture of James climbing over Teal'c, there was a knock at the door. Due to her condition, she had chosen not to engage the electronic lock, so she called,

"It's open."

The door opened to reveal McKay balancing a plate of mince pies and a couple of glasses of juice, much to her surprise. Getting over it quickly, she smiled and said,

"Hey McKay, what's up?"

He shrugged and replied, concerned as he placed the plate on the nightstand, "I was just passing by this way and…"

She interrupted him, saying as her smile faded, "You're wondering why I'm not joining in."

"Well, that goes without saying."

She patted the edge of the bed for him to sit, and when he did, he said, "That husband of yours who isn't really your husband is saying that you need some space because you're thinking of that husband of yours who is really your husband."

Frowning slightly, she remarked, "Are you being paid by the word?"

As he handed her a glass, he retorted, "I'm a scientist not a writer."

Taking a sip, she asked, "How are you and Carson doing?"

He looked at the floor, his shoulders slumped and remarked, "Fine, just fine… why wouldn't we be? I mean, it's still Carson despite…"

He sighed, and she said, placing a hand on his, "It's still him inside. I thought you'd worked through that."

"I'm a genius and _I _find it hard so it would be impossible for you to understand a fraction of what I'm going through."

Raising an eyebrow, she remarked, "Oh yes, like that sixty-two year old man who's staying with us…"

He met her gaze, looking hurt as he said, "Yes, but that man is… well, he represents an alternate future self of Doctor Jackson so he's still him, even if the events that led him to be like that have changed. Carson, on the other hand, is a clone. I doubt that there would be an alternate reality with him as a woman."

"Hey now, you of all people know that anything like that is not impossible. For instance, there could be an alternate universe that is very similar to ours but, for example, if my Dad came home two months later in 1964. I'd be two months younger… or if he had released different gametes, I could even be a male… or twins."

Staring at her for a moment, he remarked, scrunching up his face, "I didn't need to know that."

She rolled her eyes before asking, changing the subject, "So… what's going on out there?"

"Oh well… Captain Kirk has finally managed to get Doctor Jackson to tee off with him. That delightful Major Lorne and Jennifer are… well, they're outside… Um, Carson and Radek are taking on the twins at Chess, and being soundly trounced… Teyla's just watching them. Ronon's being fully immersed into the rest of the festivities, although he thought the crackers that I made were lame."

Feigning surprise, she asked, an eyebrow raised, "No, really?"

"Well, I probably could have worked on those jokes, but is it my fault that no-one gets the joke about the Doctor, the Lawyer and the Mathematician?!"

"Come on McKay, not everyone's a Physics or Maths major… which one is it?"

"A Doctor, a Lawyer and an Astrophysicist are discussing the merits of mistresses and wives. The Doctor said, 'It's better to have a wife, because not keeping horrendous secrets would be beneficial to your health…'

"The Lawyer said, 'Ah, but having a wife, should you wish for a divorce, you would have to shell out a lot on a divorce settlement, so it's better to have a mistress.'

"The Mathematician looked at them both with a cunning smile and said, 'You're both wrong.'

"The others look confused, the Doctor asking, 'How come?'

"The Mathematician replied, 'Because, when the wife thinks you're with the mistress, and the mistress thinks you're with the wife, you can do some math…'"

Chuckling softly, she remarked, "How did you fit that on a small card!?"

"Well… you know, if I had my way, I would have put them in a little booklet but Radek nearly blew up at me. Anyway, no-one thought it was funny."

"Now I would have thought that Carson, Radek, Brightman or Jennifer would have got it… or even Shep… I mean, we underestimate that man so much."

He exhaled, replying, "Ah well, Carson's busy with the game of the century, Jennifer's outside with the Major, and that Doctor Brightman woman is too busy enjoying herself with teaching Ronon how to play Charades."

"That I'd pay to see."

"Hm, it is funny, especially when he grumbles."

She looked at him for a moment before she blinked in surprise as she came to a sudden realisation. He was about to say something when she remarked, "You like her, don't you?"

His brow furrowing, he retorted, "Who?! Just using pronouns isn't going to get you anywhere. I mean, if I was going round embarrassing people, I would use names instead of…"

She held up a hand to silence him, and said, amused, "Ok, ok… Jennifer."

He replied a little too quickly, looking down at the floor, "Of course I do…"

"Ha, the fact that you're actually admitting to liking her means that liking her is an understatement!"

He swallowed before meeting her gaze and saying, "I may have come to like her that way but it doesn't matter."

Feigning annoyance, she remarked, "I'm offended."

When he looked at her in disbelief, she continued, "I'm seriously offended. The minute my back is turned, you start eyeing her up."

She smiled, and he retorted, "Hm, as much as I would be leaping off balconies…"

Blinking in disbelief, she remarked, "Leaping off balconies…!?"

He rolled his eyes and continued, "It's an expression – I don't see any mountains within walking distance. As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, as much as I would be… doing whatever I'd be doing should the impossible happen, you're married. Ok, he can't compare to me but…"

It was her turn to roll her eyes and she remarked, amused, "McKay, McKay, McKay, get real. Daniel, even without his memories, could quite easily kick your ass, physically and mentally. Where do you think the twins get their Chess prowess from?! I don't really have much patience for it, but General O'Neill, after twelve years, is yet to beat Daniel. He still beat the then Colonel when he had Ma'chello's bugs inside him."

"Pfft, that's nothing."

"Ok, I dare you to play him."

Flummoxed, he asked, "Now?"

"Sure, why not? He could use a laugh to take back with him to the time stream."

"Maybe later…"

He reached for the plate on the nightstand and asked, offering it to her, "Want one?"

She scrunched up her face, not feeling like eating as she asked, "Who made them?"

He remarked, boasting, "I'll have you know that they're a McKay family recipe…"

She raised an eyebrow at him, and he continued, a touch sheepish, "Ok, Carson made them. He… uh, she's quite the little baker. She made them with sweetener instead of sugar."

Knowing that she really did need to eat something, she took one, murmuring a 'thank you' to him, and he asked, gesturing to the photos as he took a pie, placing the plate on the nightstand once more, "Reminiscing?"

Glancing down at the photos leaning on her bump and on the bed next to her, she replied quietly, handing him a couple as he placed his glass on the floor, "Yeah…"

As he looked through them, he said, "You know, Cameron mentioned that I used to take her, James and Madison to the Zoo when Jeannie visited Colorado Springs."

Smiling, she remarked, "Wow… _Uncle_ Rod must mellow out in the future. Did she mention who you ended up with?"

Shrugging, he replied, "She wouldn't say despite my numerous threats. She didn't appear to know Katie, so it can't be her."

"You know, when we get the 'gate back online, you should give her a call."

Looking through more photos, he replied, "There's no point… I like her, I really do but, thinking about it, she's not really my type. She's a Botanist and…"

"Bullshit."

"She really is a Botanist!"

"No, I meant about her not really being your type. You stopped seeing her when Carson died, and that can't be a coincidence… McKay, you can't blame yourself for what happened. She said so herself that she… he would have run in as soon as Doctor Hewton exploded. You've got to stop holding back because in doing so, you're not doing yourself any favours. She took you with all your faults, and she saw the real you, the tortured soul shrouded by a brilliant albeit arrogant s-o-b who's too insecure in his own abilities to see who he really is."

Very, very surprised, he practically gaped at her before asking, "You really think that of me?!"

She rolled her eyes and remarked, "I'm on SG-1 – if I can't read people after nigh on twelve or so years of being on the team, then I'm in the wrong job. I didn't want to tell you this, but before that Amazon mission, I slipped into an alternate universe where… where we were married…"

When he looked smug, she added, "And divorced… don't forget the d-word – it's very important. The Lorne in that reality said that my alternate self could see something in you that no-one else could."

She covered her face with her hand as he continued to look smug, and she murmured, mostly to herself, "I knew I shouldn't have told you…"

She looked up at him and said firmly, "My point is that Katie saw you for who you were and that she didn't care. Come on, how many women would still go out with you after you had a Marine take control of you?!"

When he smiled at her almost leeringly, she continued, almost ready to zat the man, "No, not a chance in hell."

He smiled at her normally, remarking, "You're so easy to tease. So… you coming out of hibernation? The only reason Doctor Jackson went with Kirk is that he's so damn miserable, and as Kirk's missing his woman of the week…"

"McKay, why can't you accept the possibility that Shep could be actually in love with Liz?"

"Because… because I can't. She should be here but instead, she's got a parasite in her that she'll have fun dressing and sending off on play dates with your twins in three years time."

"Oh, you…"

She put the photos away and, as she struggled to sit up under the weight of her swollen abdomen, she continued, "Come on McKay, you can be my date until Daniel sees fit to come back from his Lonely Hearts golfing session."

Looking hopeful, he was about to say something, when she remarked, "As a friend and colleague, McKay… don't get your hopes up. No-one, in an infinite number of realities, will ever live up to my husband. Ah, I wonder how Liz is doing… she'll be seven months by now."

She added when she eventually sat up, gesturing behind her to the bathroom, "On second thoughts, give me a few minutes…"

Grimacing, he replied, "Ah, say no more."

--------------------

Her arm threaded through his, they walked to the Mess, where she sat down, shifting slightly in discomfort, the two scientists watching the Chess games that were underway. As Radek, looking shocked, knocked his King down in defeat, McKay remarked, earning a sharp elbow jab from Sam,

"Ha, I guess you won't be winning Swedish massages… ah… or Doctor Mallozzi's DVD collection again… Sam!?"

He glared at her reprovingly, and she retorted, "They all may be from an alternate timeline now, but Cammie's still my daughter."

As he rubbed the now sore spot on his ribs, Carson, barely hiding a smile, said, "You're fine Rodney… although you did deserve it."

Cammie and James exchanged a little smile, right before Carson was defeated, and Sam asked, "So Cammie, how many games have you won?"

Cammie replied, smiling as she and Radek reassembled their pieces, "Three against Uncle Radek today…"

James added, "I've beaten Auntie Carson twice."

Sam, surprised, replied, "Wow… how many times have you beaten Daddy?"

Cammie and James exchanged a glance, the latter replying, "Ah, Dad's hard to beat… I only did it once…"

Cammie interrupted him, remarking, "Oh sure, you little liar!"

"Hey, I did. The night before we came back to America. He was kinda distracted and…"

Both of them noticing Sam's expression suddenly become strained, James said, "Ah, sorry Mom… I have a tendency to rabbit on sometimes. Sorry."

Sam smiled slightly as she looked down at her ring finger, replying, "It's ok James… your Dad's hard to beat anyway… Has your Uncle Jack told you the stories?"

Cammie asked, "Oh about him winning games against Grandpa Jackson when he was a kid?"

As Sam, Carson, Radek and even McKay looked amused, the Czech scientist remarked, hitching his glasses, "I am glad that I decided not to make this game a little more interesting."

Teyla, who had been watching both games with interest, remarked with a smile, "If you had, you surely would have lost."

McKay remarked, "I'd pay good money to see any of you taking on the wonderful Doctor Jackson."

Sam looked at him with a raised eyebrow in disbelief, and retorted, "I'd pay good money to see _you_ get trounced by him."

Teyla remarked with a cheeky smile, "It would be very likely that Samantha's babies would _trounce_ him from the womb."

As everyone smirked, McKay remarked, looking indignant, "Oh, thank you very much! Not only am I going to be beaten by an Archaeologist…"

Sam couldn't help but add, "Archaeologist, Anthropologist, Philologist and Linguist."

He rolled his eyes and continued, "Yes… I'm also going to be beaten by two babies that haven't even been born yet!"

Carson replied with a smirk, "Aye, but you're dealing with the SGC's Lazarus on one hand, and on the other, two babies who just so happened to have saved all of our lives."

James remarked as he made his first move, "They're Carter-Jacksons alright."

Carson asked, frowning slightly at the board, "Sam, have you not had your presents yet?"

Radek, reluctant to start another game, added, "Yes, I will retrieve them."

Teyla replied, "It is nothing, Radek – I will do so."

As everyone smirked at him knowingly, he said, "No, I will go… I would like to walk too."

Sam remarked as he got up, glancing at McKay, "I'll say that's your opening."

McKay, rolling his eyes again, replied as he got up to take Radek's seat as the Czech returned with Sam's presents, "Fine, fine, fine…"

--------------------

Daniel found an excuse to escape from the seemingly endless emotionally driven golfing, escaping to Sam's quarters but finding it empty. He then wandered off to the Mess to find her laughing at an indignant McKay who had just been soundly trounced by Cammie, and he smiled as he watched her unconsciously pat her swollen abdomen. He approached, leaning down and gently kissed her on the cheek, saying,

"Merry Christmas."

Smiling, she stood up as quickly as her bump would allow, slipping her arms around his neck and returned the kiss as well as the greeting. He hugged her, asking as he smoothed her abdomen,

"How are you feeling?"

"Heavy."

"Ah."

Helping her to sit down again, he pulled up a seat next to her as she leant her head on his shoulder, and they smiled as McKay exclaimed, looking at the Chessboard,

"You cheated!"

Cammie replied, indignant, "Uncle Rodney, I don't need to cheat! I whupped you."

She looked back and said with a sweet smile to her father, "Hi Dad."

Daniel remarked, amused, "How many games did you win?"

"Uh… just the one with Uncle Rodney so far, but Uncle Radek's vowed not to play against me again… I won three games against him."

James added, smiling cheekily, "I've beaten Auntie Carson nearly three times now."

Carson retorted, smiling nonetheless, "Aye, you say that now… I could get lucky."

Daniel, glancing around the Mess, asked, "Has anyone seen Major Lorne and Doctor Keller?"

Sam replied, amused, "They're outside… I probably don't need to add any more to that."

Just then Sheppard came round with a sprig of Mistletoe, and everyone groaned, feigning disbelief. Radek remarked,

"I do not wish to be a part of _your_ festivities, Colonel."

"Hey Radek, if you're trying to say something about yourself, you do know that the US Air Force has a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy, so you can spare us the details."

Radek raised an eyebrow briefly and retorted, "I have a girlfriend."

Sheppard rolled his eyes and remarked, "Ok, since everyone's eyeing me up weird, I'm making this optional although… it's considered bad luck to refuse a kiss under this."

McKay shot back, "Oh yes, trust you to believe in superstition."

"If it gets me a kiss…"

He held it above Teyla, who, amused, kissed him quickly on the cheek. Carson remarked, "Ah, she's not a daft lass. You probably stink of onions."

Looking at the Doctor meaningfully, Sheppard remarked, "You're a woman now."

Carson rolled her eyes before saying, "Fine, go ahead."

Sheppard held the sprig above her, and she, taking everyone by surprise not least him, kissed him on the lips. When everyone got over most of their surprise, including the personnel playing games in the other part of the Mess, they cheered. Sam and Daniel exchanged a glance as McKay looked completely out of his depth, Radek awkward, and Carson and Teyla very, very amused.

Daniel remarked, channelling Jack, "That is wrong on _so_ many levels!"

Sam looked on amused, and James looked at Sheppard challengingly, remarking, "I'll dare you to do that to me… although, if you do, I could have learnt some moves from Uncle Teal'c and you could be on your back in two seconds flat, my hand around your windpipe. Then again, I could be lying and have suppressed homosexual tendencies."

Sam and Daniel smirked knowingly as everyone looked at the younger Jackson in bemusement, not least Sheppard, before he remarked, fighting a smirk, "Nah, I'll pass – it'll be bad for my rep."

McKay retorted testily as he massaged his temples as he still analysed the positions on the board, "What, your hump-anything-that-moves rep?!"

As everyone else looked shocked, Sheppard shot back, "You're just sore because Lorne's outside with Doctor Keller."

Everyone looked back to McKay to await his response, but the Canadian Physicist pretended to be absorbed in his 'match' analysis, and Sheppard remarked, "Ok, I've got Doctor Brightman and Doctor Keller to get to, so I'll speed this up."

He leant over Daniel to Sam, who slowly lifted herself up and kissed him on the cheek, smiling slightly as he lifted the mistletoe. She sat down again, and Cammie remarked, making everyone smirk,

"I'll find some extant Asgard technology to mutate you at a cellular level if you so much as swing that thing over me."

Daniel, placing an arm around Sam as she once more leant her head on his shoulder, remarked with a smile, "Ah, she's our daughter alright."

Sheppard retorted to Cammie's remark, poking his tongue out, "Ah, well, you're a boy anyway."

Cammie slowly straightened up, a neutral expression on her face before casually asking Radek to pass the ruler that he had been playing with. Confused, he handed it to her and she quickly leapt up, running after the now sprinting Colonel, swinging the ruler at him.

Sam replied to Daniel's remark as everyone, laughing, turned their attention to the chase as Cammie hit Sheppard a few times, "Oh, too right."


	47. Earthside Christmas

Earthside, Daniel wasn't having a very good Christmas, taking into account that it was supposed to have been his first with Sam since they were married, but he had tried to keep his spirits up on the outside for the twins, who were excited at the attention from Jack, Elizabeth, SG-1 and mini-Jack as well as the decorations that they had insisted upon. In fact, it had taken them all, as well as the twins jumping on his stomach, to get the Archaeologist out of bed in the morning.

Mark had called a couple of nights previously to invite Daniel and the twins to San Diego to spend Christmas with the Carters, but the Archaeologist had pretended that the twins weren't feeling too well. To be honest, he was worried that he would be a party pooper and ruin California's weather in the process. Speaking of weather, despite his best efforts, Colorado had received an unusual amount of rainfall and lightening storms, and flood warnings had been issued to many low-lying cities should the rain continue.

During the festivities, as his friends, Sara and Hammond enjoyed themselves for the twins' sake with music and laughter, he slipped out back and sat on the deck, looking out across the back yard. He took a few calming breaths and tried to concentrate on improving the weather due to feeling rather guilty at the flood warnings in other parts of the state. Because of his inner turmoil, it had no other effect than worsening the weather, and he shut his eyes tight, throwing his hands down in frustration.

"You could try drugs."

He looked back in surprise to see a much larger Elizabeth standing in the back doorway, looking at him with concern etched in her features. Closing his eyes briefly, he replied with a sigh as he looked back across the yard once more as lightening illuminated it briefly,

"It's so hard… I don't know how she managed the year that I was gone, although we weren't a couple back then… it's just…"

She slowly lowered herself to sit down next to him and she said, wincing at the enterprise, "I know… John's out there too, and I'm carrying his child."

They sat in silence, listening to the steady rhythm of the rainfall, when he suddenly said with a small laugh, "I can't believe Vala's considering having a baby again."

Raising an eyebrow briefly, she said, "Yes, you would think she'd be put off with her track record. She and Cameron must be serious."

Smiling wistfully, he nodded, replying, "I think it says something that despite everything, they can still stand the sight of each other. I suppose, now that SG-1 aren't in urgent need any more, the team could stand to have her gone for a year or so… Carolyn won't let her go through the 'gate what with her coming off those injections that the Airwomen have so she's been driving everyone on base wild, and not in the way that she imagined."

Smiling at Vala's brash personality, she replied, "Yeah."

He turned to look at her for a moment before asking, "How are you doing? I remember… I remember how Sam was when she was as far gone as you, and she had serious mobility problems."

Amused, she remarked, "That's an understatement, but I suppose that that's the best a man could ever describe it, even if he is you."

He raised his eyebrows briefly, thinking how ironic her statement was, and she said, placing a hand on his arm, "Sam's going to come home again, and I'm sure she wouldn't want you to be depressed and put your life on hold. If she did that, she wouldn't be doing her job out there very well. But most importantly… the twins need you as their father to be there for them, not only to compensate somewhat for their mother not being here, but to be there for them at Christmas too."

He exhaled slowly, replying quietly, "I know it isn't fair on them with me being like this but I can't help it. When I'm around them, I keep thinking of how Sam's missing them growing up. The first time she was out there, she missed their first steps."

"That's the price we pay with the job we do. It… it sucks but it happens. You need to be strong for them, and especially now, what with the… developments. I don't think everyone else in the state is going to appreciate being evacuated from their homes."

He nodded, his eyes closed, and he whispered, "I'm trying."

"Try focussing on your memories of Sam, all the good ones. It worked for Peter Pan."

He looked at her for a moment before saying with a shrug, "Sure, why not? At worst, we'll have to build a wooden Ark…"

She smiled slightly and watched as he closed his eyes, thinking of the births of the babies, the wedding, the fun times, the mission to Ortus Mallum, Jack's influence on the twins, and the twins' birthday parties. She looked up in surprise to see that the rain had stopped, the temperature gradually growing warmer, when suddenly, the first snow flakes of the year began to fall.

She gasped in surprise and he opened his eyes to see the snow, gazing upwards in surprised fascination. Holding her hand, he squeezed it, whispering a thank you as Jack and his friends came out onto the deck with the twins, all of them gazing up at the sky in amazement. Jack, his arm around his ex-wife, remarked, glancing discreetly at Daniel,

"Wow, now we're gonna have a blizzard instead of a flood…"

Behind Sara's back as she looked up at the dark sky in amazement, Hammond, Cam and the rest of SG-1 looked at Daniel, Vala kneeling behind the Archaeologist and slipping her arms around his shoulders as they all looked up, some of the snow beginning to settle.

Mini-Jack remarked, clapping Jack on the shoulder, "Ah, we're gonna be making snowmen tomorrow, aren't we, Uncle Jack?!"

Jack replied with a raised eyebrow, "Sure we will, little Jack."

This earned a scowl from his younger self, as everyone smirked, although Sara looked a tad bemused at the exchange. She mentally shook herself before leaning her head on Jack's shoulder as mini-Jack frowned slightly before returning indoors. James climbed into Daniel's lap, followed by his sister as they eagerly watched the snow, fighting their oncoming tiredness.

Elizabeth placed a hand on his arm, reminding him as he met her gaze briefly of what they had talked about, and he nodded slightly. He smoothed the twins' hair as they leant their heads against his shoulders, slowly blinking. Vala, without a word, picked Cammie up and they got up, taking the babies indoors to bed.

--------------------

Later that night, after Sara, Hammond and SG-1 had left with mini-Jack, and Elizabeth had gone to bed, Daniel leant over the twins' cribs and smoothed their hair, silently promising them that he would have a little talk with them in the morning about their mother, something which he had shied away from as he drowned himself in self pity. He also made a mental note to go bed-shopping for them after the holiday period due to them getting too old to sleep in cribs.

Kissing their foreheads as they slept, he smiled down at them before getting ready for bed. As he lay down after checking on a sleeping Elizabeth, Jack remarked from his bed,

"Sweet trick, Dannyboy."

Daniel frowned slightly, asking, "What?"

"The weather. Come on, don't tell me that that wasn't you. It was actually forecast to be chilly but you made it rain, and then it suddenly started snowing."

Daniel smiled slightly as he thought more thoughts of Sam, and he said, "Liz helped me to tap into my powers… apparently if I concentrate on happy memories, I can consciously change the weather."

"That's good… I'll call you when I want to go fishing when it's supposed to rain."

"I don't think you want frozen fish, Jack."

"Funny… although could you imagine having Yule fish in the middle of June?! Sweet."

His eyebrows raised briefly, Daniel remarked, "Sweet?! How would icy fish be sweet?! Surely they would be cold?"

"You know, you get any sharper, you'll cut yourself. Glad you started enjoying yourself."

"Jack…"

"No, listen a sec. I know it's hard with Carter being out there, but she's doing her job and you've gotta admit that she's gonna kick ass big time out there. You two will get through this and she'll be back home again so you can get up to all the sailor fun you want…"

Blushing furiously, Daniel exclaimed, "Jack?!"

Feigning innocence, Jack shrugged and said, "What, I'm just saying… I can imagine Carter's face on you not only _not_ opening your birthday present but _not_ opening your Christmas present too. Closing in on yourself isn't gonna get you anywhere – trust me, I know from experience."

Daniel sighed, replying, "I know Jack…"

"You need any help sleeping?"

"I don't know whether I want to sleep now."

"Ah come on, you've got to make snowmen with the twins tomorrow morning. Go on, take one tablet."

Daniel exhaled before complying, and Jack said, watching his friend, "You'll be fine. Just remember that you're not alone – you've got all of us, you've got me, and we're not gonna let you go old man on us."

Growing drowsy, Daniel switched off the light, remarking, "I could never be an old man before you, Ja…"

Jack retorted softly, amused as he heard his friend's now steady breathing, "I won't let you be a grump. 'night Dannyboy."

--------------------

Jack woke up on his front after a rather strange dream about electrifying blue light, his shoulder being shaken almost frantically. He opened his eyes slightly, mumbling something, and he heard Elizabeth say,

"General… General, Daniel's gone and so are the twins."

That got him awake. He quickly sat up, throwing the sheets off him as he looked at Daniel's bed. He then ran into the twins' bedroom to find the twins gone, and he called to a hobbling Elizabeth,

"Did you see him?"

She shook her head, replying, worried, "No, I went downstairs but he wasn't there although his car is, and I came upstairs to find him and the babies gone. I looked out the back too but they're not there."

Noticing her increasing panic, he said, snapping into General mode, "Ok, let's go downstairs – you need to sit down… I need to get SG-1 out… I can't leave you by yourself."

"General…"

"No buts – you're heavily pregnant and I'm not leaving you."

He brandished his mobile, putting an end to any further arguments as he helped her downstairs, and he said into it, "Mitchell, get your men together – Vala too – Daniel's gone AWOL with the babies. I want you here in ten minutes."

Cam replied, sounding worried, "Yes Sir. You want me to scout the area on the way?"

"No, get here first."

--------------------

SG-1 arrived within ten minutes, and Teal'c and Vala scouted the perimeter of the house as Jack tried reaching Daniel's mobile but to no avail. Cam and Jonas examined Daniel and Jack's room as well as the twins, bringing the sleeping pills downstairs with them, Cam careful to carry it in a plastic bag to preserve any evidence that the canister may have.

The team regrouped, Cam and Jonas having found no clues, and Jack took the pills from Cam after having a flash of inspiration. Jonas said,

"Jack… you could obscure any fingerprints or DNA information on it."

"That's why I'm gonna use a rubber glove… Jonas?"

Jonas, frowning in worry, handed him a glove and Elizabeth asked, "Sir?"

Jack, concentrating on opening the canister, replied, "I know how many pills should be in here – I count them everyday to make sure Romeo doesn't bail out on us."

Cam said, wincing slightly, "Good idea."

Jack tipped the pills out onto the table, counting them before something indescribable flittered across his face, everyone noticing it. Teal'c asked,

"O'Neill, what is wrong?"

Jack replied, meeting the Jaffa's gaze, "It's seven short. Someone's drugged him."

Jonas instantly got his mobile out to call Carolyn, and Vala remarked, looking increasingly worried as she cottoned on, "If he was overdosing, he wouldn't be able to take the twins."

Jack nodded and Vala felt physically sick at being right. Jonas, ending the call, said,

"Carolyn says that he could get severe respiratory damage by, ah, taking more than two at any one time."

Cam said, "Wait a minute, what if he's taken the pills with him?"

Teal'c asked, "Would he not take the entire canister with him if that was so? Also, he would not bring harm upon anyone else but himself, especially his children."

Jack sighed as he held his forehead, and Jonas said, "How about his subcutaneous transmitter?"

Elizabeth, taking deep breaths to steady herself, making everyone turn to look at her, worried, replied, "That would be a good idea."

As Jack brandished his mobile again, looking worriedly at Elizabeth, Cam remarked, "Please don't tell me your baby's coming now."

Elizabeth shook her head, replying with a shaky smile, "I'm just a little shaky, that's all."

Vala said, looking at her in the way only a mother could, "Why don't you lie down?"

Elizabeth replied, "No, I can't rest knowing that Daniel and the twins could be in trouble. Despite being in pain, he's been looking out for me so much."

Jack switched the speakerphone function on and they all listened as Walter attempted to locate Daniel. Suddenly, he said, surprised,

"Doctor Jackson's subcutaneous transmitter frequency has been interrupted but the last recorded position before the interference was six miles west of your present position, Sir."

Cam asked, "Is there any way you can tell what caused the interference?"

"Running analysis now, Colonel…"

They all waited with bated breath, when their hopes were dashed as Walter said, sounding crestfallen himself, "Unable to identify source or type of interference."

Jack sighed before saying, "Ok, everyone back to the mountain – we need a scouting party. Come on… that includes you Doctor."

Elizabeth nodded and Jonas helped her up as they all left the house, hoping for the best for their friend and godchildren.


	48. Kidnapped

Daniel awoke, feeling groggy, his vision blurry, slumped against a wall, his hands and feet bound. He closed his eyes, shaking himself in an attempt to rouse himself and also to try and work out why he was in this position, a fleeting thought of Vala flitting through his consciousness. He groaned as he opened his eyes once more, the sight of a dark, foreboding cell door slowly coming into view, the cell dark, dank, grey and bare. With equal slowness, he surmised where he was, his mind feeling as though it was clouded, although with what, he hadn't fathomed yet; the same going for why and who by.

He stretched, wincing at the strain in his muscles, and then he became aware of a presence behind the bars, somehow sensing it. He looked up to see a blurred figure behind the bars, a white face looking in at him. He rested the back of his head against the cool, dank wall and said, forcing himself to be calm,

"Who are you, and what do you want with me?"

The figure produced a bitter laugh and said in a scarily familiar voice, "Questions, questions, questions, Doctor Jackson. In the words of the Wicked Witch of the West – 'all in good time, my pretty', and I mean it – you are kinda pretty. No wonder General O'Neill likes you – I bet you have a lot of fun in that bedroom of yours."

Daniel closed his eyes, fighting to concentrate on the voice as the clouds in his mind threatened for one scary moment to overwhelm him. The voice continued,

"Anyway, we know who you are, Doctor Jackson, or should I say, the Guardian. We know of your powers and we intend to use them."

His eyes still closed, Daniel remarked, thoughts of the Trust running through his head, "Why oh why, would you ever think that I'd help you out?!"

"Because, Doc, we know that you wouldn't want any harm coming to your delightful children, one of whom is a medical miracle although which one, we were hoping that you'd tell us. Tumour indeed. What did you take us for?"

Daniel whispered, fighting the cloud, "If you so much as lay a finger on my children, I will hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands."

"Yep, we thought of that too so we took the liberty of drugging you so you couldn't focus properly. Nothing like being zapped by a half Ancient when we've got some important research work to do."

The voice continued, feigning cheerfulness, "I'll leave you to enjoy our lodgings before our boss decides that she wants to check you out. For the moment, bon nuit."

Before Daniel could say anything, he felt something sharp and stinging stabbing shooting into his arm, and his last conscious thought before his head slumped forward was that he was going to kill that man with the familiar voice if it was the last thing he ever did.

--------------------

Daniel awoke again, this time the reason a lot of water being thrown over him, soaking him completely. He closed his eyes and whispered, his head slumped forward, his mind growing less cloudier,

"What do you want with me?"

The chilling, booming voice of a Goa'uld made him snap his head up to see a blonde haired woman dressed in black sneering down at him. The woman said,

"I am Athena, your god, and I wish to learn of the abilities that you possess."

Daniel sighed, wondering how many more Goa'uld were going to be on his tail now, and he remarked with a bitter chuckle, "What makes me think that I'll ever tell you anything?!"

"Your participation, though desired, is not essential. My scientists can extract the information from the Ancient knowledge that is slowly expanding within your mind."

He shut his eyes tight before opening them quickly on seeing a cage in front of his cell, inside of which were the twins, crying in fear. His heart leapt into his throat as they called him, and he said to Athena, meaning every word,

"You harm them, and I'll kill you."

"I do not need both of them – just the one that gestated within you. The Trust are not stupid – you could not carry a tumour within you for three trimesters without being operated on swiftly. Moreover, the records show that ColonelCarter gave birth at the SGC but there is no surveillance footage of either of you arriving on base, yet you were both there, you having your tumour removed. Coincidence? I think not."

He remarked, "Ok, now you're seriously disturbed, even more so than before which is saying something…"

His remark was interrupted by one of Athena's aides hitting him across the face with the butt of a gun. His face turned away as he grimaced in pain, he said, panting for breath,

"My friends will come for me, and when they do, they won't hesitate to kill you. If you let me go, you could get lucky."

Athena knelt down next to him, her lips close to his ear as she replied in a sultry voice, "Your friends will never find you, and I am going to have so much fun examining you personally…"

She punctuated her comment with a caress of his cheek, and he flinched beneath her touch, retorting with a fierce expression, "I'm married, and if I wasn't, crazy, megalomaniac bitches with delusions of grandeur aren't my type."

As she straightened up, she said, "Hm, you lie. I believe our lady Hathor chose you to create a new generation of Goa'uld."

He grimaced at the memory, shooting back, "Against my wishes."

"Too bad, you would make a delightful host for my consort, Pallas, who is waiting for a desirable host such as yourself with great powers, but then maybe _I _would like you as a host, and rule amongst the remainder of the Goa'uld."

He sneered, remarking, "What Goa'uld do you plan on ruling?! We had Baal executed, and the rest are powerless."

"Precisely, my dear Doctor Jackson… now save your strength, we will begin the tests soon and soon you will discover all the good that the Goa'uld have to offer you."

He shot back, unconsciously channelling Jack, "Bite me."

"Oh… after the tests, there will no doubt be more than biting. I have heard a great deal of your talents, particularly those in pleasuring and satisfying ColonelCarter. But first… I want to know which of those children is the one whom gestated within you."

"You're nuts."

"On the contrary… very well, if you will not tell me…"

She lifted up a ribbon device and said, "I will give you one more chance… tell me which child."

"Go to hell."

"Very well."

She activated the device, an orange beam feeling as though it was piercing his skull and burning his eyes out. He shut his eyes, groaning at the pain as he tried to think of something. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to focus. He grimaced in concentration as he focussed on the beam that felt as though it was raping and pillaging his mind, and held onto it.

His eyes flew open in surprise when Athena screamed, the device flying out of her hand. Realising that his mind was clear enough to use his powers, he focussed on the device that one of her aides was in the process of retrieving, focussing his anger on it, and to his surprise, never mind theirs, it exploded, the Naquadah in the explosion causing the metal of the cell bars to warp as he turned his head away in an attempt to shield himself from the explosion and accompanying bright light.

Athena, collecting herself, said with a rather unconvincing sneer, "We will take you for your vivisection now…"

Directing his anger towards her, he lifted her clear off her feet as she vainly struggled against him, her aides gaping in horror at the sight, and he said, very, very angry at not only the situation but on remembering once more his bargain with Anubis, "You Goa'ulds have a problem with promises but I don't…"

He proceeded to snap her neck, her lifeless body dropping to the floor, and as her now weak symbiote emerged from her neck, he glared at it, the creature exploding into flames with a tortured squeak.

The aides brandished zats but they were too late – Daniel was way past any sort of reasonableness. With a roar of pure anger as he saw some men in black taking the twins away in their cage, he broke out of his restraints and, again to his surprise, threw a wave of fire outwards, mindful to create a safe bubble for the twins, the fire engulfing everyone else in the vicinity.

Gasping for breath, he slumped back against the wall again, having used a lot of mental energy, and he hoped that he wouldn't pass out until he and the twins were safe again. Focussing inwards, he slowly stood up and walked out of the cell, the door of which had been blown outwards by the blast wave, and he searched for the twins.

Closing his eyes, he wondered if he would be able to sense them, given that he had a lot of other powers in his 'utility belt', as Jack referred to his growing list. He wryly thought to himself that he was only on the brink of discovering everything about his powers, and if what he was already exhibiting was the brink, then the full gamut must be pretty intense. He closed his eyes and focussed, but as he did so, he sensed someone behind him, someone rather familiar.

He frowned as he turned around to see the person whom he had vaguely recognised earlier. Shocked, Daniel said in a neutral voice, "Agent Merek…"

Agent James Merek, the IOA Agent who had earned a punch from Vala for treating Tomin like scum before the Ark of Truth mission, had never lived his embarrassment down at not only Vala's hands but Daniel's too when he had defended Sam, and had promptly accepted the Trust's subsequent recruitment of him. The Agent, a 9mm aimed squarely at Daniel's head, said,

"Say your prayers, you inhuman monster."

Daniel retorted, his anger growing once more, "Gee, I'm not a religious man."

Merek squeezed the trigger repeatedly until the clip was empty, but Daniel raised a hand, the bullets stopping in mid-air before dropping to the floor with resounding clinks against the hard, stone floor. Merek, horrified, attempted to reload, but Daniel, with a wave of his hand, threw the gun clear of the Agent before walking towards him, a fierce glint in his eyes.

Merek, panicking, reached quickly for his zat, but Daniel cast that aside too before lifting a hand. The Agent was promptly thrown against the nearest wall, rather hard, and Daniel, not wanting to use his powers for this bit, approached the now terrified Agent and said, angry,

"You ever come near my family again, and I will make sure that you will be _very_ uncomfortable for the rest of your pointless little life."

He then started throwing punches, punching the Agent in the face repeatedly, again unconsciously channelling Jack. Merek attempted to defend himself but Daniel's anger was too great, and the guy didn't stand a chance.

With Merek now a bloody mess, Daniel was about to deliver the killer blow when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and Jack saying, not hiding the amusement in his voice,

"That's enough Dannyboy – we've got the bastard."

Forcing his anger down, Daniel took a deep breath as he released Merek, who slumped down to the floor, a smeared trail of blood in his wake. Remembering what he was meant to do, Daniel said weakly, trying hard not to collapse as he leant his forehead on the wall, fighting an oncoming headache,

"Jack, the twins…"

Jack patted him on the shoulder and said, "Mitchell, Jonas and Vala have got 'em. Come on, buddy."

Two of Reynolds' men grabbed the bloody Agent, dragging him between them, blood trailing after him as Reynolds looked on in bemusement before looking at Daniel, concerned, asking, "Jackson – you ok?"

Daniel groaned, replying quietly, "I will be – I just need to get out of this place."

He felt Teal'c's hand on his back, the Jaffa saying, "Come DanielJackson – you certainly have a story to regale us with."

Struggling to stand as his friends steadied him, Daniel closed his eyes and focussed on the twins. He was barely aware of Cam calling through Jack's radio, sounding very bemused.

"Sir… the, uh, babies are… flying."

Jack, glancing at Daniel, called back, "I'm sure it's Daniel playing about. Regroup."

Daniel opened his eyes as the twins, scared, floated towards him and into his arms. He said, reassuring them, "It's ok – Daddy won't let anything happen to you."

He held them close as they cried, and he whispered, almost crying with relief, "You're safe, you're safe."

As Cam, Jonas and Vala joined them, Daniel said to his friends, "Thank you."

Everyone bemused, Jack remarked, patting him on the shoulder, "We didn't do anything – you stole the show. That's quite a punch you pack, and I assume you burnt out the Goa'uld, the goons and the cell?"

"Yeah."

"Sweet."

Teal'c, noticing Daniel sway, held him around his waist from behind, and as his friends looked at him in concern, Jack said, "Come on kids, let's get back to the mountain – our little Whitelighter needs to get checked out by Carolyn. Move out."

--------------------

Daniel unconscious in the Infirmary, the twins in the Nursery, Carolyn briefed his friends in the observation room. Jack asked,

"How come he's out for the count?"

"I had to sedate him – he was rather upset at how close the twins came to being in danger – they're fine too."

"Ah – good… I mean, that last part."

Reynolds asked, "Is he gonna be ok?"

Carolyn nodded, replying as she looked out through the window at Daniel once more, "Oh, he is although I needn't tell you that creating fire and manipulating it isn't something humans normally do."

Cam remarked, "I'll say, but Jackson ain't normal."

Vala added, her hand on Cam's shoulder, "That's true already."

Jonas asked, "Should we try to contact Atlantis?"

Jack replied with a sigh as he made to take his place in 'the chair', swiftly followed by Teal'c, "Get Walter to dial 'em."

Cam, followed by Vala, walked out of the observation room with Reynolds to the control room, and Carolyn, glancing at Jonas, remarked, "Crazy jobs we have."

As he slipped his arms around her waist, resting his cheek against her hair as she drew strength from him, he replied, gently kissing her forehead, "Oh, that really does go without saying. How are you doing?"

"Tired… I couldn't really focus on anything after I heard about them all disappearing. How about you?"

"Just raring to go."

She chuckled against his shoulder, remarking, "Typical… come on before someone gets on our backs about not acting professionally."

He smiled against her hair, replying, "Ah, but I am being professional – I'm comforting the stressed out Chief Medical Officer."

"Oh you."

--------------------

After being discharged from the Infirmary, and ordered to go home and get some sleep as the rest of SG-1 discussed how Athena had infiltrated the Trust, Jack and Teal'c forced Daniel to go home, and he reluctantly left with them and Elizabeth after picking up the twins from the Nursery.

At home, Daniel held the twins in his lap in the lounge, holding them close as he silently thanked whichever higher power hadn't allowed them to be harmed. Having been scared previously, they clung onto their father and he mentally assured them that everything would be fine.

Teal'c took them from him, saying, "DanielJackson, you need to rest. Have no fear – the twins will be safe with myself and O'Neill."

Daniel, without a word, got up and walked straight through the kitchen and out of the back door, sitting on the back deck, needing to be alone to think. Elizabeth asked Jack,

"Is he going to be alright?"

Jack replied, looking grim but then smiling as Cammie tugged on his shirt, "He'll be fine."

Jack then followed the Archaeologist, and found him hugging his knees to his chest. Sitting down next to him, Jack pulled the younger man into a hug, the Archaeologist coming willingly as he clung onto him, tears in his eyes. Jack smoothed the back of Daniel's head, saying,

"It's ok, Daniel – just let it all out."

His voice heavy with tears, Daniel whispered, "I nearly lost them, Jack… that bitch was planning on experimenting on me and James, but she didn't know which twin was the one I was pregnant with…"

He paused before saying, "I'm scared."

Raising his eyebrows briefly, Jack replied, "It's normal… come on, _I'd_ be a bawling wreck if I had a fraction of the crap that you've got. You're doing well with it."

Laughing bitterly, Daniel said, "Sure Jack… I killed people with fire."

"They were asking for it – if you hadn't, they'd be cutting you open or doing unspeakable crap to the twins. Come on, stop beating yourself up about it."

Daniel sniffed, whispering, "I wish Sam was here."

"Ah, me too… thank God the weather's not being affected. I think you're starting to control yourself… I'm proud of you. Look… we haven't been able to dial Atlantis – how about we swing by with the Odyssey later on this week?"

Daniel shook his head, replying, "I can't risk it – the Daedalus was destroyed by the Wraith. Oh God Jack… what if…"

"Hey! That's enough of that out of you. This is Carter we're talking about."

Gazing down at the tired man in his arms, Jack said, "Come on, let's get you to bed – you could do with a rest. What time did those bastards take you?"

"Hmm, it was dark… I don't know."

Suddenly realising something, Jack exclaimed, "Shit!"

Meeting his gaze, concerned, Daniel asked, "Jack?"

"I failed you Dannyboy… I think those bastards zatted me."

Straightening up, Daniel remarked, "Jack, I don't think you'd be able to withstand a zat blast."

"Still… Anyway, come on, bed."

Looking down at his hands, Daniel said, "I… I don't think I can… I mean…"

Jack placed a hand on his shoulder, replying, "Don't worry… Doctor Lee's team were round earlier after doing the Forensics to fit frequency jammers and whatnot all over the house – those bastards aren't coming back."

Jack stood up, forcing Daniel to stand too as he continued, "No excuses – bed. You need the strength for when Weir's kiddie decides to show up. As I remember, my best buddy and my best ever second-in-command went into labour earlier than planned."

Closing his eyes, Daniel said quietly, "Jaaack…"


	49. Dreams and Pulsars

_The pulsar idea I made up as part of the first attempt on my UG dissertation, but unfortunately, it didn't make the second and final attempt._

_--------------------_

_Her surroundings glowing a bluish white, she spun around to ascertain where she was but to no avail, seeing nothing but the same colour everywhere and nothing else. She closed her eyes and opened them to find Daniel in front of her, her surroundings now totally black, a soft white glow around the Archaeologist, who looked more or less like the man she had left behind. Smiling in relief, she rushed forward and pulled him into a hug over her bump. He gently rubbed her back, smiling against her hair as he whispered,_

"_You're not alone, Samantha – you're carrying great power within you, far greater than anything that you have ever witnessed."_

_Slipping her arms around his neck, she asked, gazing up at him as tears ran down her cheeks, "Will… will I ever see you again?"_

_Gently caressing her cheek as he smiled down at her, he replied, "Oh, you bet."_

_She held onto him tighter as her lips sought his, and was met half way by his own. He whispered as they parted,_

"_I'm a product of a combination of your subconscious mind and the great power that you carry within you."_

_Her surroundings began to fade, leaving the two of them, and she sniffed back more tears as she rested her head on his shoulder, whispering, "I miss you so much Daniel."_

_He ran her fingers through her hair, whispering back, "I miss you too."_

_He vanished beyond her grasp, and she stood alone in the midst of nothing, crying, and she whispered, "Oh Daniel."_

Sam woke up with a start in her quarters, the hand that had been smoothing her bump stopping in surprise. She looked towards the owner of the hand and found none other than the alternate timeline Daniel lying next to her, worry in his eyes.

She realised that she really had been crying and she closed her eyes as she whispered, shaken, "He… he was just here."

He held her as close as her swollen abdomen would allow, and said, "Hopefully we'll be able to get the 'gate back online soon and you'll see him for real."

Her eyes still closed, she proceeded to relate her dream to him, and he caressed her jaw, replying, "There's something going on… either that, or you're really stressed."

She couldn't help but smile at that, and doing an impression of Jack, she remarked, gazing at him, "Ya think?!"

He rolled his eyes, retorting, "Fine, one of us had to channel Jack sooner or later."

He continued with a smile, "Come on, I'll help you up."

Suddenly very worried, she said, "I don't know if I can carry these babies to term… I mean, what if the Wraith come again and the babies don't have enough power to fight them?"

Gently pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, he replied, "Oh, I think that the Wraith aren't going to be able to adapt to this particular power in a hurry. You're going to be fine – I'm not going to let anything happen to you, I promise."

She closed her eyes again, resting her head on his chest as he ran her fingers through her hair, and she asked, "Would it help if I resigned?"

His hand stopped, and he asked slowly, "What do you mean?"

"When I get back home… would it help if I resigned from the SGC?"

His eyes widening in surprise and horror, he replied quickly, "No, God no, Sam… I won't let you do that."

"You know I'd do it."

"I know you would, and I would do the same for you, but we agreed long ago that the galaxies were more important than us."

"But Daniel, there are always going to be intergalactic emergencies and… and disturbances and threats of war…"

He remarked as he smoothed her abdomen, "Would it be better to be oblivious to threats to the Earth? We already know too much about what's out here… there."

He gently forced her to meet his gaze as he continued, "I know what you're thinking, and if I went back to before you left, as much as it would hurt, I wouldn't stop you because I know that this is one of the things that you have been working for. I'm proud of you – you saved everyone's lives."

Despite his brave words, she noticed his eyes brightening with tears, and she whispered, "Oh Daniel… I know how it hurt you when I left Earth… and Cammie told me about… afterwards."

He sighed, replying, "Sam, we've been at the SGC from the very beginning, and we've lost each other several times over the years but we've always found a way to come back to each other."

She smiled through her tears, remarking, "Tell me about it."

He kissed her forehead, and continued, "I miss being on SG-1… when I got promoted, it was meeting after meeting, and watching the rest of you go through the 'gate."

She met his gaze, surprised, and said, "You never said anything."

He shrugged, replying, "Because I figured that I'd have more time for you and the babies… and well, I did after I…"

He met her gaze and asked, "How about if I resigned?"

Shocked, she shook her head, replying, "Nuh-uh, no way, and I'm sure General O'Neill would stop you like he did after Sha're. I'm not letting you do it."

"Well, at this time, Jonas has taken over most of my work and I'm job-sharing the Daddy role with Jack, filling out a lot of paperwork, and helping the Jaffa along, as well as preparing to leave…"

She forcibly sat up, wincing at the strain and she said, her back to him so he wouldn't see her intense anguish, "No way Daniel. You can get your old job back but there is no way that you're resigning from the SGC. I know you'd do it but no way am I letting you."

He sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist as he leant his head on her shoulder, and he said, "You know I'd do it."

"I know… I know, but you're too much of a valuable asset to the mountain. Even though Jonas has taken over your department, who do all the linguists and archaeologists go to when they need help or a second opinion? That's right – you… because no-one, not even Jonas, will ever be able to hold a candle to you."

His gaze fell, embarrassed as he murmured, "Says you…"

She exclaimed, looking at him disbelief, "My God, Daniel, have you not changed over eighteen years?! I'm telling the truth. If the President decided to whittle down the entire mountain to one person, it would be you because… you have a brilliant mind and… you're compassionate. You care about others, you don't prefer violence but you're not afraid to stand up for what you believe in, what you believe to be the right course of action…"

She smiled, continuing with a remark, "Daniel, on second thoughts, don't ever change. This is totally you… God, I miss you."

She gazed down at her large bump as he caressed her shoulder. Suddenly he paused, and she met his gaze, a question in her eyes. He asked,

"Sam? What month is it?"

Bemused, she replied, "January, why?"

As he grew more agitated, he asked, "Day?"

Bemused further, she replied, "13th… what's wrong?"

He smiled, whispering in her ear before kissing it, "Sheppard's going to be a Daddy in two days."

Surprised, she replied, "Wow. My future daughter-in-law…"

When he raised an eyebrow at her, she smiled at him, remarking, "James and her sound like Cam and Vala… they'll get together."

"You know, _daughter-in-law_ sounds odd."

"Oh, tell me about it – it's still odd referring to you as my husband…"

Noticing his odd look, she rolled her eyes and continued, "Daniel, we've not been married a year yet now."

She sighed and continued, "Ok, I guess our real first anniversary was last month, but our one with non-classified photos is not until March 14th."

He kissed her on the cheek, saying with a wistful smile, "Sounds a mouthful."

Grinning as she looked down at her wedding ring, she remarked, "Oh yes, I can imagine making small talk with someone and coming out with all that."

Her smile faded as she continued with a sigh, "I can imagine Daniel's face when he sees me like this."

He hugged her with one arm, replying, "He won't doubt you. Granted, he'll be surprised… but how could he ever be any other kind of mad at you than in love?"

She closed her eyes, remarking with a smile tinged with sadness as she leant into his embrace, "I hope he doesn't miss the birth."

--------------------

Very careful to avoid mentioning anything to Sheppard or anyone else about the soon-to-be latest addition to the Sheppard and Weir family trees, Sam sat in her office, her feet propped up to stop her ankles from swelling up as she caught up on paperwork, typing it up and archiving it for a future data stream to Earth.

As she did so, her thoughts drifted to alternative means of contacting Earth should 'gate travel remain impractical in the long term. Their intergalactic ship had been destroyed; the Puddle Jumpers didn't stand a chance unless used for time travel which would cause one heck of a time loop, or further complications should an alternate timeline's team find someway to come home.

She sighed, unable to focus on her primary task, so she wheeled her chair over to a clearer part of her desk and began writing down formulae and drawing diagrams on a pad of paper. Suddenly she smiled and started up her laptop to access her research. Finding what she needed, she pressed the earpiece in her ear and called over the microphone,

"McKay, Radek, get to Liz's office."

She continued smiling down at the pad as Jennifer entered, asking, curious at Sam's expression, "Sam?"

Sam looked up and replied, grinning, "I found a way to contact Earth without the 'gate!"

Surprised, Jennifer asked, taking a seat on the opposite side of the desk, "Really? Wow… so… Jumpers?"

"Nope…wait 'til McKay and Ra…"

McKay and Radek entered the office, both of them looking at Sam with curious expressions. Sam gestured for them to sit, and they did on either side of the linguist, McKay remarking,

"Babies coming yet?"

Sam rolled her eyes as Jennifer and Radek looked on bemused, and she retorted, "McKay, believe me, I wouldn't be smiling if I was going into labour…"

She took a deep breath and said, "Ok… I've found a way to contact Earth without the 'gate."

As Radek looked on intrigued, McKay remarked, "If you so much as say the words 'Puddle Jumper', I'll eat my hat."

"You don't wear a hat…"

Jennifer said, glancing at McKay, "Rod, let Sam finish."

Sam nodded in thanks to the younger woman before saying, her excitement growing once more as she spun her laptop around so the three of them could see the screen, "We could use the pulsar that we've been researching in sector 7-G. All we have to do is work out the calculations and transmit a radio signal to it, taking advantage of its natural rotational properties. The calculations won't be easy but it's doable – we'll have to predict the fluctuations in the magnetic field but if we encrypt the signal, it could be a broadcast like the one we send from the SGC when we want the Tok'ra."

She handed her pad to McKay, and Radek said, hitching his glasses up, looking pensive, "It is possible but radio waves travel at the speed of light and we are thousands of light years away from Earth…"

As McKay raised an eyebrow while he read, Sam replied, "We can use McKay's data stream and work with subatomic particles in conjunction with the moving magnetic field of the pulsar. The particles in Project Achilles were recorded as going several times faster than the speed of light."

McKay replied, still not looking up, "Yes, but the particles were unstable. All Earth will get, if anything, is an unidentifiable radio signal…"

He glanced at Jennifer and added, "Like Boulder FM transmitting white noise several hours straight…"

Sam said, still smiling, "But you didn't have the extra power of a spare ZPM or a lot of Naquadah to hand to alleviate the degenerative effects of not only that but also the results of the Inverse Square Law, where for each time the signal distance is increased, the signal strength decreases by at least a factor of four."

Radek asked, "What if someone else on Earth receives it?"

Sam smiled fondly at Jennifer and said, "I know just the person to produce the cipher. We could use Ancient to encrypt it – the only people who know it are in on the SGC."

McKay said with a sigh, handing the pad to Radek, "Well, it isn't impossible, but pulses will be quicker rather than a single stream. If one doesn't get there, the chances are that the others will."

As the scientists all looked satisfied with themselves, Jennifer raised her hand briefly and said, looking a tad sheepish, "Ah sorry to interrupt but… what's a pulsar?"

To Sam's and Radek's collective surprise, McKay calmly replied, or as calm as was humanly possible for Meredith Rodney McKay, "A pulsar is a natural source of radio emissions in space. They're called pulsars because before we developed sophisticated equipment, the way the radio waves were emitted suggested a pulsing source. In reality, they rotate, spewing out radio waves all over the place."

Jennifer nodded and thanked him as Sam and Radek stared at him in disbelief. McKay looked from Sam to Radek, and asked, confused,

"What?!"

Sam raised her eyebrows briefly and smiled, and Radek, smiling too, said, "We are surprised, Rodney."

--------------------

As the scientists got to work on Sam's idea, with help from Cammie and James, Sheppard asked Daniel as they stood near the doorway of the lab, watching them, "Ya think this'll work?"

Daniel, gazing at Sam typing into her laptop as she said something to Cammie and McKay, said as he hugged himself, "Yes. Sam's more brilliant than she gives herself credit for. Jack used to say that her brain should be a national treasure. Plus, you've got four other geniuses in the room."

Sheppard smiled briefly before asking, "So… got any more titbits from the future?"

Daniel replied as he focussed on Sam, "More than you know."

"Gonna share?"

Daniel shook his head and said, "I can't tell you everything."

"Rats… I don't die, do I?!"

Glancing at James writing quickly, Daniel replied, "No."

"Do Elizabeth and I get married?"

"Can't tell you."

"Aw come on – yes, no… it's a simple question."

Daniel focussed his now steely gaze on the Colonel, which startled the man despite all his years of combat training, and said quietly, "It may be simple for you but for me, it's far from it. Just drop it please."

"I bet you told Carter."

"Sam's a scientist plus out of everyone I have ever known, I trust her the most."

"Ah, so you did tell her!"

Daniel rolled his eyes and replied, "She is my wife… even if she technically isn't now. We kept very few secrets from each other during our time together."

Practically dying to ask more, Sheppard swallowed his curiosity down, making a mental note to ask his surrogate niece and nephew later on, and he asked, frowning as he realised something, "If you three don't have the Ancient gene, how did you use the Jumper? Man, I can't believe we forgot to ask that…"

Daniel said as he continued watching the work going on, "We're from the future."

Sheppard couldn't help rolling his eyes as he remarked, "Ah… well, that explains everything."

Daniel retorted, frowning, "So it should."

"Fine."

"Good."

"You keep it to yourself."

"Damn straight I will."

"Good."

"You bet."

Sheppard glanced out the corner of his eye at Daniel, his admiration for the man growing further. He smiled to himself, wondering how many other people he had considered to be 'geeks' were holding out on him.


	50. A Birth and a Message

A considerably larger Elizabeth sat across the desk from Daniel in his office as they discussed the Jaffa situation, the former expedition leader having insisted on coming in as opposed to resting at home. She said, idly smoothing her bump,

"In time, it's quite possible for them to have embassies or localised governments… even here."

"Yep, I see that too… but we're talking many, many years in the future. Despite Illac Renin surrendering and declaring a ceasefire, they still have a lot of issues to work out amongst themselves as well as with the rest of the Jaffa. As for the rest… they have some major issues too."

He smiled slightly, and she was about to reply when she paused, a stunned expression on her face. As he was about to ask what was wrong, she began to breathe heavily, and he ran to her side, asking as he held her hand,

"Liz? What is it?"

He peeked under her chair to see fluid soaking into the carpet and he winced, grabbing his phone and called into it, "Carolyn, get to my office – Liz's water just broke!"

He threw the handset down, not caring that it hadn't landed anywhere near the rest of the phone, and he said as he knelt by her side, smoothing her forehead, "Come on Liz, breathe… in and out…"

She did as she was told, beginning to sweat when she shut her eyes tightly and whimpered in pain. He looked at the clock and said,

"Ok, Liz… squeeze my hand when you get a contraction."

She whispered, crying at the pain as she squeezed his hand, "It hurts…"

His voice broke with emotion as he said, "I know… you're going to be ok. Just hang in there."

As she squeezed his hand again, Carolyn and a medical team came running in with a gurney, Reynolds and SG-1 following with curious expressions. As Teal'c lifted a crying Elizabeth onto the gurney, Carolyn asked as she prepped a syringe,

"How far apart?"

Daniel replied, running his fingers through his hair, looking more than a touch strained, "Uh, five minutes."

The medics left and the Archaeologist followed, SG-1 wordlessly following suit. As they walked to the Infirmary, Daniel said to Reynolds,

"Get Walter to try and dial Atlantis again."

Reynolds nodded and called 'good luck' to Elizabeth before jogging in the direction of the control room. Cam put a hand on Daniel's shoulder, remarking,

"Oh, the memories."

Daniel swallowed, nodding and Vala added, "That will be me one day… again… hopefully."

Cam and Vala exchanged a little look, and Teal'c remarked, "With hope, your next baby will be normal."

Everyone shot the Jaffa little looks, and Elizabeth, gasping, called Daniel's name. He caught up with the gurney and held her hand, saying as he looked down at her, still walking,

"It's ok Liz, I'm here."

Elizabeth asked, closing her eyes as the pain increased, "Could you stay with me?"

Daniel nodded, replying with a determined expression, "Of course I will."

--------------------

Daniel sat at Elizabeth's side in an isolation room for hours on end, holding her hand as Carmichael and Carolyn prepared her. Elizabeth cried out and whimpered at the pain despite the painkillers that she had been given, and Daniel debated whether to use his powers on her. Her discomfort increasingly difficult to watch, he raised a hand above her abdomen, a glowing white light emanating from it as the Doctors, Elizabeth and the Nurses looked on in amazement and surprise.

Daniel glanced at Elizabeth, who smiled, saying, "The pain's gone… I can just feel the muscles contracting but it doesn't hurt. Wow, thank you."

Carolyn and Carmichael exchanged a bemused look, and Daniel remarked with a smile, smoothing her forehead, "I'm not sure how long it's going to last so get ready to curse me all the way to Ne'tu."

Elizabeth took a deep breath and replied, "I could cope with that."

Carolyn asked, "Are the contractions getting quicker?"

"Yes… they're about a half minute apart."

Carolyn, Carmichael and the Nurses couldn't help but smile at the calm way that she had delivered the information, and Daniel remarked, "You're a record breaker – the first woman to calmly tell her Doctors the timing of her contractions."

"I'm storing up those curses."

"You could always scream in Ancient."

Elizabeth chuckled, closing her eyes, and she said, "I wish John could be here."

Daniel's smile faded as he replied, "He'll only be able to come if they've got the 'gate back online."

"I know."

He squeezed her hand, when suddenly she hissed. She said, opening her eyes,

"That was a big one… and another one."

Carmichael checked out things at his end and said to Carolyn, "Dilation's at fifteen centimetres."

Daniel smiled down at Elizabeth as she squeezed his hand, and smiled back, getting ready to feel overwhelming pain. Daniel asked, attempting to pass the time,

"So… what are you going to do when the baby's here?"

She replied with a shaky smile, "Probably sleep for a month straight…"

He chuckled before saying, "You're more than welcome to stay at ours."

Closing her eyes as she felt herself stretch, she replied, wincing, "Ah, no, I'm thinking of getting a place nearby."

"I won't hear of it."

Smiling, she replied, "Thank you so much but I'm going to need my own place. I don't want to keep you up all night…"

"You know I don't care about that. You need help with the baby and I'm willing to give it."

Gasping at the discomfort, she replied in a whisper, "Thank you."

She closed her eyes and whimpered as the pain returned full force and Carmichael called, "Doctor, push!"

She forced herself to breath as she squeezed Daniel's hand tighter and tighter, screaming in pain as the Archaeologist grimaced at the pain in his own hand. Despite this, he called, smoothing her brow with his other hand,

"Come on Liz, you can do this!"

Breathing heavily, she snapped, "Oh, you would say that! Agh."

He raised his hand to take her pain away, when Carolyn said, "Daniel, we can't be sure that that isn't causing complications…"

Daniel said, impatient, "There must be something."

The end of his statement was drowned out by a loud scream from the woman clutching his hand with an almost superhuman strength, and he briefly wished that Teal'c was sat in his place. He patted her hand with his currently uninjured one, calling in encouragement,

"Liz, you can do this, I know you can. You're a strong woman and I'm proud of you – come on."

Carmichael finally called as Carolyn looked on, concerned and wincing for the woman in pain, "Doctor, just one more push."

Squeezing Daniel's hand harder, Elizabeth whimpered before screaming as she gave out one hell of a push. Carmichael then called with a relieved smile,

"You can stop now."

Elizabeth flopped back onto the bed, her eyes closed as she fought to catch her breath, as well as fighting the urge to carry on pushing. Daniel smiled despite his own pain, smoothing her forehead as he said,

"Oh, I am _so_ proud of you."

She nodded wearily in thanks and opened her eyes in time to see Carolyn lift a bloodied baby into view, Carmichael snipping the umbilical cord. Elizabeth gasped in amazement and Daniel, smiling, whispered,

"Congratulations."

He smoothed her brow before getting up, rubbing his hand, feeling as though something was broken… if it wasn't, it was pretty darn close, he thought. He approached the Doctors just as the baby took its first breath, and Carolyn performed the necessary tests on it as they cleaned it up.

Wrapping the squirming baby up in a blanket, Carmichael turned to Daniel with a tired smile of his own, and handed the bundle over, saying, "It's a girl."

Carmichael then smiled over at an absolutely knackered Elizabeth, whose head flopped back onto the pillow again, and he said, "Congratulations, Doctor."

Carolyn added her own congratulatory remark as Daniel gazed down at the baby in his arms, walking back to Elizabeth's side. He smiled slightly at the dark hair and as he reached his destination, he whispered, caressing the baby's cheek,

"Hello there. I suppose I'm your Uncle Daniel, and this incredibly tired lady is your Mom."

Still smiling, he handed the baby to Elizabeth, who had sat up despite the desire to hibernate for a year emerging, and she, tears in her eyes, held the baby whose hair greatly resembled Sheppard's, whispering,

"Hello, little one."

She looked up at him, unable to stop the tears from running down her cheeks, and said, "She's so beautiful."

Smiling at her, he replied, "She sure is. What are you going to call her?"

Gazing down at the now crying infant in her arms, she replied, looking overcome, "Charlotte Danielle Weir-Sheppard."

--------------------

After coming out to reveal the good news to his waiting friends including Jack, who had been notified hours previously, he returned after a few minutes to find Elizabeth fast asleep, the Doctors having cleaned up their end of proceedings. He smoothed her brow, whispering,

"Things are going to turn out for you, Liz."

Smiling wistfully for a moment, he leant over Charlotte's cot, watching the baby squirm as he touched her cheek, and he asked, "How about we go see Mommy's friends? Mommy's sleeping now so it would be best not to wake her… especially after everything she's had to go through. Come on."

He gently and carefully lifted the baby up in his arms, gently kissing her on the cheek before leaving the room to show a growing crowd including SG-1, Jack and Reynolds.

Outside, Jack remarked as he looked down at the baby, "Ah, well, she doesn't look like you."

Daniel shot him a cold look but said nothing as everyone else got a look at the baby, Vala cooing over her as she held her for a spell. Teal'c asked as he smiled down at the baby during his turn,

"What will happen?"

Daniel replied with a grimace, suddenly remembering how much his hand was hurting, "I don't know… I said that she could stay at ours but she wants her own place… I don't think she'll be able to manage by herself as a new mother though."

Jack, now holding the baby, remarked, "What's with the painful face? She squeeze the hell out of your hand?"

Daniel holding up his hand, replied, "More than that…"

Cam checked it out, saying with a worried look, "Man, that's broken."

Daniel frowned down at his hand before getting an idea. His uninjured hand hovering over the injury, he closed his eyes as a white light appeared, bathing his hand as he focussed, half the Infirmary appearing to gather around him, shocked and surprised; stunned into silence.

The light disappearing, he opened his eyes and smiled slightly, saying, "It doesn't hurt any more."

Carolyn checked his hand out, and Cam said, "It was definitely broken."

The CMO nodded and said to Daniel, "You're having an X-Ray…"

When Daniel looked set to object, she added, "It's not optional."

His head dropping to his chest in a gesture of resignation, he remarked, meeting her gaze, "Well, can I take Charlotte back first? I promise I won't leap out of any windows."

As Jack handed the baby back to him, raising an eyebrow, Teal'c said, smirking nonetheless, "There are no windows on this level."

The statement earned more than a few odd looks, and Carolyn nodded, remarking with faux-sternness, "Good… and I've checked it out for mini-Stargates too. There's no escape."

Jonas added, beating Jack much to the older man's dismay, "And no ascending either. We're all trained to kick your ass for Sam."

Gazing down at the now sleeping baby, Daniel replied softly, "I got it."

With an inaudible sigh, he turned and went back to the isolation room, wondering how long it would take for Sam to come home again.

--------------------

As Daniel was about to sign out to spend the night watching over Elizabeth and Charlotte in their isolation room, he heard someone running behind him in the corridor, and as he stopped, some indefinable instinct told him who it was. Not turning around, he asked with a weary sigh,

"What now, Walter?"

Walter, spooked, stopped next to the Archaeologist, said, "How did you know… oh, wait… your Whitelighter powers."

Daniel closed his eyes briefly and asked, "What do you want?"

Walter, remembering why he had run after his boss, nodded and said, "Deep Space just called. They intercepted a series of highly compressed radio pulses from the Pegasus galaxy before Arecibo could get it. Source co-ordinates estimated to be somewhere near Atlantis, if not the city itself."

Daniel, suddenly alert, held the Sergeant by his shoulders and asked, his eyes intense, "What else?"

Not surprised at the gesture, Walter replied, "They can't make heads or tails of it but they're sending it to us."

Daniel suddenly sprinted back down the corridor in the opposite direction that he had been going, and Walter joined him, smiling slightly to himself. Reaching the control room and finding Bill Lee there, the Archaeologist quickly nodded in greeting at the scientist before returning his attention to Walter as the Sergeant typed into the computer.

A few minutes later, Walter said, "Receiving transmission…"

Data flitted across the screen and Daniel gaped at the Ancient characters. He asked Walter, "Can you… can you print that out?"

Walter nodded, printing out the transmission and dividing up the printouts according to the pulse they belonged to before handing them to the Archaeologist. Daniel called as he nearly ran from the control room,

"Thanks Walter… Bill? You might want to join me on this."

Bill nodded and scurried off after him, calling back, "It's in Ancient."

Daniel replied, turning a corner to his office, "If it's from Atlantis, Sam's probably put a mathematical cipher into it."

--------------------

Spreading the sheets of paper across the briefing room table with Teal'c standing guard at the door, looking on as curiously as he could manage, Daniel quickly read through the sheets, saying distractedly as he idly rubbed the eraser end of his pencil against his neck,

"Each set or pulse appears to be the same message, so we only have to look at one pulse."

He moved the other sheets out of the way, just leaving the ones that they needed while Bill scanned some of the sheets onto his laptop. As Jonas appeared, Daniel, glancing at the Kelownan briefly, asked,

"Could you sit with Liz? I was going over there before I got waylaid."

Teal'c straightened up and said, "I will sit with DoctorWeir… you may need JonasQuinn."

Daniel thanked him as he left, and Jonas joined Daniel and Bill, getting down to work.

Two and a half hours later, Daniel began to write furiously into his notebook, and Jonas asked, concerned, "Daniel?"

Bill looked up, and Daniel said, amazed, "It's the same message, over and over, separated by a series of Ancient numbers. The message itself doesn't make any sense but… each iteration is a different language: Navajo, Inuit, Cornish, Irish Gaelic, Scots Gaelic, Welsh, French, German, Austrian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Arabic, Afrikaans, Russian, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Malaysian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Asgard, Abydonian, Furling, and Goa'uld. It says – _'We are ok – fought off attacks – got some help from three Marty McFlys – not sure of other attacks – no attacks since December – congratulations to Liz – know about your tablets – babies to be born on Atlantis in March or April – hope you had a nice Christmas and New Year.'_"

The two other men stared at him in surprise, as he, surprised too, raked his fingers through his hair, breathing a sigh of relief at Sam and everyone else being safe. Bill cleared his throat and said, showing them the screen of his laptop,

"Well, it explains the format of each pulse… each one is set out like a data packet, each one ending with what appears to be a checksum and a parity bit to ensure lossless data transmission. It's amazing that it's made it this far. Wow."

Daniel raised his eyebrows briefly, and Jonas remarked, looking spooked, "Wow's an understatement."

Daniel frowned as he re-read the message and said, "It mentions the tablets Mitchell found…"

As it dawned on him, he sat down rather heavily, putting his face in his hands, as the two other men looked on concerned. Jonas read Daniel's notes before looking at a confused Bill and saying, "It looks like the two babies mentioned in the tablet are still to be born."

"Oh, from those tablets…"

Daniel moved his hands from his face and said, everyone noticing how tired he looked, "It means that Sam's pregnant… but she can't be."

Bill remarked, hitching his glasses up and getting gradually jealous of Daniel no longer needing _his_ glasses, "Well, I think we need to work out what they meant by Marty McFlys…"

Jonas, glancing at Daniel, replied with a smile, "I got it. They've got some visitors from the future."

Bill asked, "But who?"

Daniel swallowed, nodding slowly as he pondered what they had learnt, and replied, "I've got a fair idea… it's me… or rather a future version of myself. As for the other two… they're probably Mitchell, Jack, Jonas, Vala or Teal'c… Um, they know about Liz's baby's arrival despite it only happening today, as well as the tablets… and Doctor Keller only knows seventeen languages. She definitely doesn't know Furling, Abydonian, Asgard or a few of the others."

Bill gulped, asking, "What about entropic cascade failure?"

Daniel rested his head on his folded arms, and Jonas replied with a shrug, "That's probably only with other realities as opposed to timelines."

He exhaled and continued, "And besides, any one of us would have felt it by now, especially Daniel."

Daniel groaned, muttering, "Probably."

He straightened up and said after pinching the bridge of his nose, "We're going to have to find some way to send them a message back…"

Bill replied, gesturing towards his laptop as he tapped his chin, "Sergeant Harriman relayed the information to my laptop from Deep Space – the pulses travelled here faster the speed of light using Doctor McKay's highly compressed data streaming as well as particle acceleration of some kind… it's certainly intriguing."

Perching on the table near Bill, Jonas said, "Even with Doctor McKay's data streaming, it was designed to be sent via an active event horizon rather than across space."

"Well, we'll need Doctor Miller – she might be able to help us seeing as Sam's unavailable."

Daniel remarked, allowing himself to smile slightly, "At least that poor woman gets paid for being dragged down here."

"It took a great deal of persuasion for her to accept the payments."

Jonas added, a touch bemused, "Colonel Reynolds mentioned that she was a hippy type."

Suddenly, the Kelownan paused and as the other two men looked at him quizzically, he asked, "Wouldn't it be funny if they were being literal about Marty McFly?"

As they looked confused, Daniel remarked slowly, his head beginning to hurt, "Jonas, Marty McFly's a fictional character played by Michael J. Fox."

Shaking his head, Jonas continued, "What if they mean someone's kids from the future? It could be Cammie and James; it could be, ah, Charlotte… it could even be future offspring of me and Carolyn, Teal'c, you guys, Cam and Vala, or anyone else…"

Bill and Daniel exchanged a look before the latter said with a shrug, almost too tired to care, "Sure, why not? We've seen weirder things although we've never met someone from the future yet."

Bill said, "We'll need to get them to get their 'gate back online…"

Daniel added, glancing at Jonas, "Or risk it with the Odyssey."


	51. Comfort and Banter

Meeting Teal'c outside Elizabeth's isolation room, Daniel, looking almost dead but shocked nonetheless, relayed his findings to the Jaffa. He then said,

"I think Sam's pregnant… it's impossible but… I don't know."

Teal'c replied, looking at his friend with concern, "Nothing is impossible in our line of work, DanielJackson. I believe that DoctorFrasier once said that there is a very slim chance that despite the contraceptive injections, a female Airwoman could conceive following sexual intercourse."

He continued with a knowing smirk, "And as you visited Samantha before the Atlantis Stargate was deactivated, you may have defied those odds."

Daniel blinked slowly before remarking, "I think you've been hanging around Jack and Mitchell too much."

He made to go past him to the isolation room, but with one hand on his chest, Teal'c stopped him, saying, "You require sleep, DanielJackson, and as I do not require anywhere near as much as the average human, I will stay with DoctorWeir and CharlotteWeirSheppard. O'Neill has vowed to storm this facility if you do not return home on the same day that you left."

Daniel nodded and replied, "Ok… thank you."

"You are more than welcome."

"I'll just go see them."

Daniel walked into the room to see Elizabeth still asleep, Charlotte too, and he smiled slightly as he gazed down at the baby. He then gently smoothed Elizabeth's cheek before leaving. Teal'c said, ready to enter the room once again,

"Samantha will return, DanielJackson. As for the alleged prophecy, I am uncertain as to what will occur."

Daniel replied, patting him on the shoulder, "Thank you Teal'c."

Opening the door, Teal'c replied, inclining his head slightly, "You are welcome, DanielJackson."

--------------------

After receiving the rough end of Jack's temper for driving himself home despite being incredibly tired, Daniel quickly explained to him what had happened before changing and going to see the twins.

He smoothed their foreheads and whispered with a smile, "You've got a new cousin… I'll tell you about her tomorrow… and Mommy called."

Lying down in his bed, he said to Jack, "We're going to have to go bed shopping for the twins to free up at least one of the cribs for when Elizabeth comes home with Charlotte."

Jack remarked with a distant smile, "That's gonna be fun – Charlie was really attached to his crib, so much so that when we took it away, he flopped down on the floor and bawled his eyes out for an hour straight. Couldn't go near him without earplugs and aspirin, and Sara didn't have Special Forces training."

Daniel noticed the distant expression on Jack's face, and said, "You know, when or if you and Sara get back together properly, you could adopt."

Jack replied with a sigh, "Nope, not going through that again. When Charlie went, it felt as though something had died inside of me. I locked Sara out when the poor woman only wanted to be able to talk to me about it. I was a damn fool."

Jack looked at the younger man, who was shocked to see an inordinate amount of pain in his eyes, and he said, "If you and Carter ever have to deal with that, and I sure as hell hope not, don't make the same mistake that I made. It's taken us ten years to seriously consider getting back together again. If I hadn't locked her out, we would still be together."

"But then you wouldn't have been chosen for the first Abydos mission."

"That goes without saying."

Daniel regarded him for a moment, able to relate somewhat now that he was a father, before saying, "You've got to stop being scared, Jack. It's not likely to happen again."

"That's the thing… there's always the chance. As long as that chance is there, we'll be worried out our minds every time the kid goes anywhere, and that can't be healthy."

"It's normal."

"Not when you've already lost a kid 'cos you were too stuck up to let him play with a stupid water pistol."

Daniel, frowning slightly, sat up and said as Jack stared at the ceiling, unseeing, "Jack, it wasn't your fault. It was an accident."

"I can't help thinking that maybe if… if I'd just let him play with that damn thing then he wouldn't have…"

He choked on a sob, surprising the Archaeologist who was surprised further as Jack began to cry. Daniel instantly went to the older man's side, pulling him into his arms as Jack had done on countless occasions to him, and whispered, rocking slightly,

"It was an accident Jack."

"I pushed Sara away when she needed me the most and I failed her."

Resting his chin on Jack's shoulder, Daniel replied in a whisper, holding him tighter, "Even heroes need saving. You've built these walls around yourself to stop yourself from feeling, but you're only human."

They stayed that way for a while, just holding onto each other, both of them needing it. Jack reached up a hand to ruffle Daniel's hair, saying with a smile against the younger man's shoulder,

"Thanks Space Monkey."

"Anytime Jack – you've given me more than I ever gave back."

Daniel patted him on the back, still holding him, and asked, "Are you going to be alright?"

Jack nodded, embarrassed and replied as he pulled away from him, "Yeah… sorry about that."

Looking straight at him, Daniel said, "Don't apologise… I don't care what the Asgard said – you're a regular human being with regular human feelings."

Daniel went back to his bed, and Jack asked as he settled down again, wanting a change of subject, "What about the prophecy thingy?"

Daniel replied, looking up at the ceiling, "It appears that I'm getting these powers to protect two babies that haven't been born yet."

Jack, counting on his fingers, remarked, "Well, if they're supposed to be born in March or April, it means that you knocked Carter up right before their 'gate was taken offline."

Daniel, embarrassed, said, "Jaaack."

Jack, feigning innocence, shrugged and replied, "You were the one who booty-called Atlantis."

The General couldn't help but smirk by the end of his remark, and Daniel rolled his eyes, saying, "But we don't know for sure whether Sam really is pregnant."

"Oh yeah, like you knocked up Doctors Keller, Beckett, Brightman… and Teyla. Daniel, you dog."

Daniel shot back, really, really embarrassed, "I've got a sore urge to zap you one."

Jack just waggled his eyebrows at him, his arms folded across his chest, a challenging glint in his eyes. Daniel rolled his eyes and said, barely suppressing a yawn as he gradually gave up the fight to keep his eyes open,

"'night Jack."

Amused, Jack retorted, "Where's my zap?! I paid good money to get zapped and you bail out on me! Hey!"

Half asleep, Daniel raised his hand, a ball of white light appearing, and he threw it at Jack, who, now scared, shielded himself with his arms reflexively, only to be doused with what felt like a water bomb. Getting up to change, he remarked, smirking nonetheless,

"Smooth, Dannyboy."

Asleep, Daniel replied, murmuring, "I thought so."


	52. Hair Colour

One morning, while Cammie, her hair now a couple of shades lighter than Daniel's had once been, adjusted another device with Radek, Sam lay under a similar device with her laptop and screwdriver, much to Daniel's dismay. However, knowing her stubbornness he stood guard near her considerably larger midriff, his cerulean eyes focussed like twin lasers on his 'wife-who-technically-wasn't-his-wife-now' lest she get into trouble.

James eventually joined them after helping Jennifer out with a particular tricky Ancient translation over in the disused labs that she had been spending a lot of time in with McKay as they searched for more clues as to the babies that Sam carried, as well as another way to fight the Wraith. Daniel looked up briefly to greet him when his gaze froze on noticing the younger man's hair now a light brown instead of blond and he asked,

"Junior, what did you do?"

James shrugged and replied, "Figured out how to get Cammie's damn dye out."

Daniel said in a low voice, "Language."

"Sorry Dad."

Daniel's attention returned to Sam, and James asked, following his gaze and looking increasingly worried, "Dad, why the _heck_ did you let Mom go under there in her condition!?"

Daniel, his gaze still focussed on Sam, replied, distractedly, "You never had a chance to get to know your mother well… She's a very stubborn woman."

Sam, having caught that last part but feeling too unwieldy to quickly slide out and confront him, remarked, pausing from typing into her laptop, "Daniel, you're the cover model for Stubbornness Sept-Weekly."

James chuckled as Daniel's eyebrows shot up, remarking under his breath, "More like Oct-weekly."

Daniel said as he rolled his eyes, embarrassed and not hearing James' remark, "Saaam."

James added, amused but stifling his smile when Daniel shot him a warning look, "Man, no wonder Cameron's a mule."

Cammie, who had caught that part, called from the other side of the lab, her head shooting up from her work, "Ok James, who's the one going out with someone who's a newborn now?!"

James, embarrassed, looked down at his feet as everyone but Daniel, Sam and Cammie looked on intrigued. Sam called back,

"Hey, time traveller, keep a lid on that temper of yours. You two are nearly three now… and besides, _Cameron Carter-Jackson_, who's the one who's got the hots for someone who hasn't even been born yet?!"

Sam grinned as Daniel and James exchanged a knowing smirk, folding their arms across their chests in a show of triumph, and Cammie stormed over to Daniel and said, upset, "Dad! Why did you have to tell everyone?!"

Daniel blinked slowly and remarked, his voice chilly, "Cameron, your mother is not everyone."

Cammie looked as though she wanted to say something else but thought better of it as she quickly returned to her work with an amused looking Radek who quickly hid his smile when Cammie shot him a look that had the power to scare a whole commando of SGC's Marines. Daniel, smiling slightly, returned his gaze to Sam, remarking,

"Like mother like daughter."

Sam retorted, smiling tightly as she wedged a relay into place, "I'd say she's more like you."

"Nope, she only _looks_ like me. Everything else is… well, you."

Sam chuckled, remarking sarcastically, "Gee thanks."

James cleared his throat and asked, "Mom, you want any help under there?"

"Do you know anything about electronics?"

"Are you kidding Mom, who do you think screwed up your door controls so Dad could booty-call you?!"

As she raised her eyes briefly in surprise, her cheeks gradually reddening, Daniel exclaimed testily, rolling his eyes, "James, will you stop channelling your Uncle Jack?!"

"I can't help it. Fine, ok, Mom… who do you think _hotwired_ your door controls?!"

Chuckling softly, she replied, "Ah, um, ok, good point… come on then."

James lay on the floor, his head close to hers and he said, pointing to a part of the cabling that she had just finished, "Ah, that's wrong."

Astonished, Sam turned to look at him and was about to say something when she practically gaped at his hair colour. James, noticing her scrutiny, said quietly,

"Mom, I only dyed it so Cameron wouldn't be alone."

Sam smiled a smile tinged with a wave of emotion, due in no small part to the vast quantities of hormones rushing through her, and she reached over to feel his hair, whispering, "It's like your Daddy's before he went to Abydos the first time."

Blushing a little, James asked, "How do you know? You guys hadn't met then… it was when he married Auntie Sha're."

Rendered a touch thoughtful by his naming of Sha're, she replied, exhaling to stop herself from falling over the edge, "I saw the photos when I was at the Pentagon. It's rather odd that over a year on a desert world would darken his hair instead of lighten it, but impossibilities and unconventionalities are that man's whole life."

She smiled, a distant expression on her face as she remembered the man that she had left behind, and she continued, "He used to look a lot like Mom back then."

He looked at her, rather unnerved, and she hastily added, grinning at his confusion, "You don't have webbed feet… I meant Grandma Jackson."

He smiled slightly at this, and she continued as she reached up to disconnect a circuit, "You know, you look like your Uncle Mark did at that age, hair colour notwithstanding. Cammie definitely looks a lot like Mo… uh, Daniel's Mom."

Surprised, he looked pensive for a moment before saying quietly, hoping that his father wouldn't hear, "Dad and Uncle Mark aren't speaking."

Raising an eyebrow, shocked, she asked, "They aren't?"

He shook his head, replying, "Something about Uncle _Marky_ not liking the fact that Dad couldn't tell him the details about where you'd gone and why you hadn't come back. Plus, he didn't like the fact that Dad took us to Egypt without consulting him. They had a huge row years back, and when we left to come here, they were at an impasse."

She chewed her lip, fighting back the oncoming rush of emotions, and he, noticing the tears welling in her eyes, squeezed her hand. She whispered,

"I'll have words with your father later on."

She continued, in her normal voice, although she sounded strained, "So… where did I go wrong… um, here?"

He gazed up at the complex circuitry for a moment, replying as he reached up to swap around several wires and enter different settings into her laptop, "Ok, I'll admit that it wasn't wrong _per se_. It's just a touch beyond your time."

She watched, amazed as he worked nimbly, his fingers reminding her, much to her quickly concealed embarrassment, of Daniel's, and she asked, "You do this kind of thing a lot?"

He grinned at her, still working as he replied, "Oh yeah. I taught myself, and picked up a few things from Auntie Vala, Uncle Jonas and Uncle Teal'c."

She looked at him with a proud smile, remarking as she ruffled his hair, "Oh, I'm so proud of you… and Cammie… both of you. I guess I owe you a hug when I manage to get up again."

He smiled back at her and replied, "Thanks Mom – I'd like that."

Feigning bemusement, she remarked, "Ah, a boy actually wanting a hug from his mother…"

He rolled his eyes, saying, "Mom…"

"I'm proud of you… I can't believe that the little dribbling guy I left behind who thought running around naked and hiding under one of the guest beds was the funniest thing in the world, is going to grow up to be you."

He reddened profusely, focussing a little too much on his work before asking, "Was I really like that?"

Still smiling, she replied, "Oh yes, but bright as a button – you both are."

Smiling slightly, he finished off the work, whispering, "Try it now."

She quickly hooked up another cable from her laptop to the inside of the device, pressing a button and as the inside lit up, humming, she said, wiping the sweat from her forehead, "That is so cool."

Both of them grinning, he looked at her, replying, "Oh, you bet… come on, let's get out before Dad starts getting funny."

"Starts?!"

They smiled as they heard Daniel sarcastically say, "Yeah, thanks… now as well as being stubborn seven times a week, I'm funny."

James slid out, remarking as he and Daniel proceeded to help Sam up, "You know, Uncle Jack was right – it's fun poking you."

Daniel raised an eyebrow at him as the younger man feigned innocence, and as Sam stood, she said to her son, amused, "Come on young man, you owe me a hug."

Daniel bit his lip to hide his sudden tumult of emotions as James smiled, replying as he hugged her as best he could over her swollen abdomen, "Sure, Mom."

She patted him on the shoulder and remarked against it, "Not a bad hug you got there."

As they parted, she kissed him on the cheek before turning to Daniel and remarking, "Daniel, I'm not stubborn enough to refuse help… now come on – I've got two babies dancing on my bladder and I can barely walk."

Daniel rolled his eyes, amused nonetheless as he remarked sarcastically, "Make me feel inadequate, why don't you?! You're only doing this because you're now two babies up on me."

She retorted, poking her tongue out, "You just can't handle the competition."

Carson appeared at that moment and exclaimed, looking annoyed, "Sam, please don't tell me that you were under that thing non-stop since I last shouted at you!"

As Daniel raised his eyebrows, half-amused and half-snarky at a now subdued Sam who was looking at her feet, James retorted with an innocent smile, earning a cold look from the medical doctor, "Ok Auntie Carson, we won't."

Daniel stepped forward to defend Sam, saying as she threaded her arm through his, "I was just taking her for a break… come on Sam."

She kissed him on the cheek before raising her eyebrows innocently at a sceptical looking Carson, and the Jacksons left the room so that Sam could relieve herself, Daniel asking, "Sooo… do you think Earth got our message?"

Sam replied, idly smoothing his arm with her other hand, "Hm, maybe… projected time of destination was yesterday. Even if they receive it, they'd have to figure out how to reply, and that could take a while… or we've caused a storm if SETI receives it and works out where it came from. Maybe the SGC will try to dial us."

He asked as he smoothed the hand that smoothed his arm, "Do you think it's safe enough to get this 'gate back online again?"

She shrugged and replied with a sigh, "Maybe… I don't know. I'm not sure if the babies will be able to release that amount of power again… I passed out last time."

He paused in the corridor and pulled her into a hug as she closed her eyes, resting her face in the crook of his neck, and he said, smoothing her back, "It's going to work out Sam."

She sniffed and replied in almost a whisper, kneading her forehead on his shoulder, "Daniel, can we carry on with this conversation later? I… um, I need to go."

Smiling slightly, his cheeks tinged with the faintest shade of red, he went back to holding her arm again and replied as they continued walking, a little quicker this time, "Sorry."

"Don't be… I'm glad you're here with me. You were with me when we carried the twins, and you're here now."

"Sam… I'm not…"

She patted his hand, shushing him, and said, "You'll do."


	53. Geeks, Change and Babies

Earthside, SG-1, Jack, Daniel and Carolyn held a small welcome home party for Elizabeth as the former Atlantis expedition leader returned home with Charlotte, the mother doing her best to keep upbeat but evidently failing as she was reminded time and time again of the one person who should have been with her, but wasn't.

After she had gone upstairs to rest, still feeling very tired after her ordeal as well as emotionally drawn, Daniel watched over the baby, promising her that he'd take the child upstairs when she got sleepy. Cam asked as Cammie and James looked at the bundle, curiosity evident in their features and fingers that Daniel carefully moved away,

"Hey, do you think we'll be able to get them to get their 'gate back online?"

Daniel shrugged as he looked down at the baby in his arms, Jack sat next to him, looking at the squirming child, and the Archaeologist replied softly, "We have to find out how they sent that message. I did some research on electromagnetic waves, and their maximum speed in free space is the speed of light, but the stats from Deep Space suggested speeds of several hundred times that speed. They must have used something to get it up to those speeds and without losing data."

As Jack, Cam and Carolyn looked on, confused in varying degrees, Vala was about to say something but Jonas asked, earning a little look from her, "Um, didn't Bill suggest particle acceleration?"

Daniel replied, "Yep… he's working on the bare notes we have from Project Achilles."

Vala was about to say something again, when Teal'c got there first, saying as he straightened up, a serious expression on his face, "Once, the long-range communications array of Apophis' mothership was non-functional due to a skirmish with Ra's forces. In order to communicate with an Alk'esh to warn of an ambush, he harnessed the power of a natural source of radio emissions, taking advantage of the rotating magnetic field and rotational properties of the source itself."

As Daniel, Cam and Carolyn now looked confused, Jonas and Jack looking thoughtful, Vala took the opportunity to say, almost exploding with the stored up speech, "I was just going to say that! Qetesh did a similar thing in one of her taunting matches with Athena."

Jonas and Jack said in unison, earning shocked looks from everyone else present, "Pulsar."

The two men exchanged a look, and as Charlotte began to cry, Daniel rocked her slightly to sooth her, saying with a thoughtful expression, "Ah… It sounds like the sort of crazy thing that Sam would do."

Jack remarked, "Oh come on, that woman blew up a sun, and you're getting all thoughtful about a… pulsar!"

Jonas said with a shrug, "It is feasible but it, ah, doesn't solve the speed or data integrity problem. It'll be a thousand years before they got it… and besides, there aren't any pulsars near us, and we really would need Sam to do the calculations to estimate the point of destination if we were to go look for one with the Odyssey. On top of that, there's the Inverse Square Law. Each time the, ah, signal strength is increased, the signal distance decreases by a factor of four.

"We would need one heck of a transmitter, bigger than Earth has, and there's a chance that it could be discovered by any non-privy parties on this planet, especially seeing as the transmission was made on the Hydrogen line between 1420 MHz and 1640 MHz, a frequency band in which radio transmissions are forbidden by international agreement. It was sheer luck that Deep Space intercepted it when they did."

Daniel closed his eyes briefly and said, "We did send them – Atlantis – a lot of Naquadah generators and refined Naquadah… they've also got the spare ZPM from that alternate universe. If that isn't enough power…"

"That solves the data integrity problem but as for speed… ah, particle acceleration."

"Yep."

Jack remarked, looking ultra bored, "Gee, I mention the word 'pulsar' and you guys are shooting up at Mach speeds… Beer anyone?"

Carolyn replied with a slight smile, glancing at Jonas, "No thanks Sir… I think we're all still on duty."

Cam rolled his eyes and remarked, "Had to let the cat out of the bag, huh?!"

As Jonas and Teal'c smirked, Vala retorted, smiling coyly, "Cameron, you're not missing anything – I wouldn't give a child Earth's indigenous beverages."

"Honey, I should hope not."

"Pfft, says you. Anyway, as I was saying, you should really try Pylarkian whiskey. Maybe I'll get some for you when we happen to go by a Jaffa market again."

Daniel, Jonas and Carolyn, barely hiding their amusement, watched as Jack remarked, "Now, now, I don't think you're permitted to bring intoxicants back through the 'gate on purpose."

Vala replied, feigning innocence, "Have you never heard of bending the truth? _Oh… um, yes, the leader of this really nice village gave us a flask of this… didn't say what it is though and as Doctor Lee is really into testing these kind of things_… A couple of sips go missing during the transit from the gateroom to the labs, and Spongebob's your Uncle."

Everyone looked on amused, and Teal'c said, smirking, "I do not think that any of us present would prefer an idiotic aquatic sponge as their male relative."

Jack smiled at the Jaffa appreciatively before picking up James in his lap and asking her, "Uncle Teal'c's a character, ain't he?"

James grinned up at him and babbled before shifting to be let down again so he could continue to look at the baby. Cammie babbled something to James who stared down at the baby, looking pretty much as his father usually did at an artefact, and Cammie, seeing that Daniel's hands were full, solemnly toddled over to Cam. The Colonel picked the little girl over his shoulder and grinned at her, saying,

"Hey Cammie, how's it going?"

She rested her head on his shoulder, not looking very happy, and as Daniel looked up, noticing the little girl's demeanour, Vala said, smoothing the fair locks, "Maybe she's filled her diaper."

Cam patted Cammie on her padded backside, asking in an attempt to make her smile, "Did you just take a dump?"

Daniel frowned slightly before saying, shocking realisation on his face, "She's jealous."

He quickly albeit carefully handed Charlotte to an amused Jack, lifting James to sit on the couch to continue looking at the infant, before getting up and taking Cammie from Cam. He bounced her slightly in his hold, gazing down at her and asking softly,

"Cammie?"

Looking belligerent, she poked her tongue out and said, "FUBAR," resulting in a couple of exaggerated gasps, and chuckles. Gazing down at her, he walked into the kitchen, away from his friends and said as he looked out across the back yard,

"Cammie, we all love you and your brother. The new baby is your cousin and you've got to look out for her, like all your Aunties, Uncles as well as me and Mommy did for you and James. It doesn't mean that we love you any less, ok? And no more swearing out of you, either. You don't have to put up a shield around yourself."

He said that last line more to himself than her, and he looked down at her once more to see her still leaning her head on his shoulder, looking sleepy. She then began crying, wetting the front of his shirt in the process as she began to call for Sam, and he bounced her in his hold again, whispering as tears pricked his eyes, resting his chin on top of her head,

"Please don't cry, Cammie. Mommy will be home soon."

When her tears subsided, sleep taking hold, he reached for a paper towel to mop her face, whispering, "I wish I could cry like you. I feel like doing that all the time. Don't ever be scared of your emotions – they're a part of who you are."

He lightly kissed her on the forehead, and Teal'c softly called from the doorway, "DanielJackson."

Daniel looked back over his shoulder, replying quietly, "It's ok – she just got emotional and started calling for Sam."

He gazed down at his daughter and, with a wistful smile, returned to the lounge en route to the staircase to find Charlotte asleep in Jack's arms, the General about to leave. Daniel wordlessly followed suit as James clambered up the stairs after them.

Placing Cammie down in her new bed which she really hadn't liked during her waking hours, he sat on the edge of it, smoothing her hair as James climbed into his lap. James babbled something but Daniel smoothed his back, whispering as he pointed to Cammie,

"Ssh, your sister's asleep."

James, concerned, looked down at his sister before sliding out of his father's hold onto the bed and kneeling to kiss her on the cheek. Daniel, smiling slightly, picked the little boy up and stood. Looking behind him, he saw Jack leaning over the crib that was now Charlotte's, a wistful expression on his face as he stroked one of the little girl's cheeks with a finger.

Daniel watched him for a moment before silently placing a hand on his back, the General straightening up and nodding in acknowledgement without turning around before leaving the room. The Archaeologist made sure that the baby monitors were turned on before following suit, quietly closing the door behind him.

Frowning at James prodding his chest and shoulder, he felt wetness seep through to his skin, and he looked down to see the wet patch from Cammie's crying earlier, so he went to his and Jack's room, sitting a restless James down on his bed before rooting in the wardrobe. He pulled out a t-shirt and as he unbuttoned his shirt, he noticed James looking pained. Realising what was wrong, he quickly took his shirt off, throwing the t-shirt on as he threw the previous clothing into the laundry basket, and he took the little boy to the bathroom.

As he changed James' nappy, he asked as the boy looked up at the ceiling, fascinated by the faint patterns, "Hey Junior, how about you try to be a big boy now?"

He smiled slightly and continued, "Only babies use diapers. Are you a baby?"

James made a face and said, giggling as he shook his head, "No!"

"But you're wearing a diaper."

"Silly Daddy."

"Hey, I'm not the one wearing a diaper."

The boy looked thoughtful for a moment before looking at him, confused, and Daniel said as he finished putting on the new nappy and cleaning up before picking the boy up and kissing him on the cheek, "We got you and Cammie potties earlier. Remember those red things? When you need to go, instead of carrying it around in your diaper, you could go in the potty."

"FUBAR."

"Come on James, don't say 'FUBAR' until you've tried it."

Daniel, still kneeling, hugged James and said, "When Cammie wakes up, I'll get her to try it."

James, dribbling against Daniel's neck and breathing heavily, said, "Daddy?"

Daniel, smiling slightly as he sat the boy down and got some tissue to mop his neck, said, "Yep?"

James, looking thoughtful once more, asked, "Potty in'tead o' diapy?"

Grinning, Daniel replied, "Yes."

"Okay."

Jack, who had listened to the entire exchange, very amused, poked his head around the door and remarked, "Told ya those two were gonna be scary."

Daniel, surprised, turned around briefly to see the smirking General, and picked up James, replying as he stood, "He's scaring me."

Raising his eyebrows briefly but then realising that Daniel had been serious, Jack asked, "How come?"

Gazing down at the grinning boy, Daniel replied, "He's got an idea of what I'm expecting of him. He's not even three yet and he asked me in order to clarify what I was suggesting."

"Told ya."

Sighing, Daniel smiled down at James and said, smoothing the back of his head, "Come on Junior – let's go and wipe that smug smile off Uncle Jack's face by having him lose at building the Great Pyramid with your blocks."

As Daniel went downstairs, Jack followed, feigning testiness as he called, James giggling over the Archaeologist's shoulder at him, "Hey! Just 'cos I kicked your… butt at building my cabin."

"Jaaack… your cabin doesn't have a pool house… Why do you even need a pool house and a Jacuzzi out in the middle of nowhere?!"

"Daniel, I did mention that it was my dream cabin."

"No you didn't."

"Did."

"Nuh-uh."

"Did."

"Didn't."

SG-1 and Carolyn looked on amused as the exchange continued while James, with Teal'c's help, pulled out wooden blocks and Duplo, Jack shooting back, "Fine, if we're gonna be building pyramids, I say we need a teddy as the Mummy."

"Jaaack."

"… wrap it in toilet tissue and…"

Daniel sighed and pulled out a children's book on Ancient Egypt, just as they all heard Cammie crying over the monitor, soon joined by Charlotte. Cam and Teal'c left to fetch the other twin and to settle the baby down again as Daniel opened the book to show James the pictures inside.


	54. Sarcophagal White Fay Part I

A month or so later, after fighting off more Wraith, Sam, by sheer determination, walked – or rather hobbled – to the Mess so as not to stay cloistered in her room, especially if Daniel had had his way. She shook her head slightly at the memory, thinking that he knew what it was like to be pregnant and yet he was still acting like a mother hen.

With a glass of orange juice, she found Daniel sat reading a book by himself, so she joined him, remembering that Jennifer and Lorne were on a date as she watched the two of them in a far corner of the hall. She smiled slightly as she sat down and said,

"Hey."

Daniel, surprised, looked up at her and replied, "Hey… I thought you were sleeping."

She blinked slowly, remarking, "If you had your way. Seriously, if I stayed there, I'd be bored out of my head. Heck, I am already. So… what're you reading?"

He showed her the cover, and she grinned, remarking, "Virgil's Aeneid? I thought you said it couldn't compare to Homer, and that, in a way, it was a bastardised version of the Odyssey."

He snorted, retorting, "That is one heck of an understatement, Samantha Carter-Jackson."

His expression softened as he looked down at the table, and she took his hand, asking as she smoothed the skin of the back of his hand with her thumbs, "What's up?"

He sighed, replying as he took his glasses off, "It's nothing."

"Daniel…"

He met her gaze, and, not for the first time, she noticed how tired and weary he looked. He replied as his eyes roved her face, memorising everything about it, "I was just thinking how great it's been to be with you these past months. I don't know what's going to happen but I just want you to know how much I love you, and how much I've missed you these past years."

Her eyes glistening with tears, she whispered, "Daniel, I love you too."

She fought to rein in her emotions as she continued, "We were really great together."

Choking on emotion, he whispered, holding the hand that held his with his other hand, "Oh, we sure as hell were, and I'm sure that we'll continue to be."

They took a moment to compose themselves, before her eyes wandered to the two people on a date, and she smiled on seeing Lorne holding Jennifer's hands across the table, gazing down at them before meeting her gaze. Daniel, noticing the smile, followed her gaze, and he smiled too, remarking,

"Ah, young love."

"We could have been like that… if it hadn't taken what it took to get us together."

He squeezed her hand, replying with a wistful smile, "I don't regret the path we took though."

Smiling at him, tears in her eyes, she said, "Me neither. Did you ever wonder how our alternate selves are doing… you know, the ones we met on Ortus Mallum."

His face suddenly lit up and he grinned as he looked down at their hands. She, still somewhat turned on by that killer smile, remarked with a knowing albeit surprised smile, "Ah ha, come on Jackson, spill it. You know."

He met her gaze and replied, "Yeah, we came across them… if my estimations are right, they got married last July… and she grew her hair out. Oh, and babies are going to be born in mid-March. Twin girls named after our mothers."

He continued grinning at her and remarked, "Looks like you were wrong about us being the only reality with us two together."

"Ah, I learnt something… when we had Jeannie here, we tapped into another Universe where I was a Colonel Jackson on maternity leave."

"Oh… I forgot about that one… That's one of the Sams of the other SG-1s on Ortus Mallum. Uh, another SG-1 saw us kiss when you found me, and their Sam and Daniel got ideas in their heads and went off to Vegas. Yeah, that black team who hijacked the Prometheus."

Surprised, she asked, "My God, really? Wait, I thought she was supposed to be on honeymoon with their Cam when they dropped in on us."

"Oh yeah… that was a weird Universe. That Sam and Cam split up what with them not being all that compatible. By the time they came out to Ortus Mallum, their divorce had come through but they had some huge rifts, and then they saw us kiss, so she went off with their Daniel after both of them woke up to some long held feelings."

He smiled and asked, "Sooo… how are you feeling?"

"Heavier than a Naquadah mine."

He winced, remarking, "Ouch."

"Ya."

--------------------

As Sam sat in the control room to keep the weight off her feet, Muniz suddenly called, sounding panicked at first but bewildered by the end, "Colonel, sensors detect twelve Wraith ships approaching. ETA in five minutes but… their weapons aren't powered."

Sam, taking a deep breath, said, "Ok, keep the shield up. Remember how I showed you to plug the three second fluctuation window?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Right."

Sheppard approached her, concerned as he asked, "Colonel, you ok?"

Sam nodded as Daniel, Cammie and James approached too, and she said, confused, "Their weapons aren't powered."

Everyone exchanged confused glances, Ronon stepping forward and saying, "It could be a trap."

Muniz called, "Colonel, ships are attempting to transmit matter beams to the surface."

Sam asked, "How is the shield?"

"It's holding."

Sam asked Cammie and James, "Do we submerge?"

Cammie let out a long breath before replying as Jennifer and Lorne entered the scene, their clothes looking as though they were thrown on, much to Sam, Sheppard, Ronon and Teyla's collective amusement, "They could fire and we'd have to surface again."

"Have you got the Asgard devices up and running?"

James replied, "Yes…"

Just then Muniz called, bemused, "An enemy ship is hailing us."

Everyone exchanged odd looks, and Sam said, gesturing with her hand, "Accept it."

To their surprise, the 'gate activated, despite being offline, and an image of a Wraith Queen appeared in what they assumed was an active event horizon. The Queen said in hissing tones,

"Surrender the Listener unto us and you will not be harmed."

Sheppard stepped forward and asked, "Who says we even have this… Listener?"

"Do not play us for fools, human. Hand the Listener over to us."

As Sam heard confirmation in her headset that Cammie was about to activate one of their Asgard weapons, she said, "Go to hell."

The event horizon disappeared and Muniz called, gulping, "Enemy ships are powering weapons… Whoa, Asgard weapons have been fired – six ships have been taken out. Remaining six are resisting and are firing back."

His report was punctuated by their surroundings shaking, and Daniel, James, Jennifer, and Sheppard instantly went to Sam's side, holding her in case she fell. Muniz called,

"Shield down to thirty-three percent."

Sheppard remarked, "Maybe it wasn't a good idea to use the 'h' word."

"Shield down to twenty percent. Asgard weapons are now ineffective…"

As everyone watched the Sergeant with bated breath, he continued, "Shield is down but they're… they're not firing any more. Ah, transmitting matter beams to surface."

The gathered Air Force personnel, Ronon and Teyla went about arming themselves and others as Muniz continued, "Enemy has landed in various parts of the city."

Sam called, wincing at the strain in her back, "Ok, shoot to kill – take no prisoners. Good lu…"

She was bathed in white light and disappeared right before their eyes, every one of them looking panicked. Daniel sat down rather heavily as James put a hand on his shoulder, Cammie running onto the scene. Sheppard asked the Sergeant,

"Which ship?"

Confused, Muniz replied as he looked at his console, "Nope… she's still in the city. One of the disused labs in the East quarter. No enemy soldiers detected in her vicinity."

Sheppard, taking command, said, "Ok, Keller, Jackson, Jackson and Jackson – you're with me. Lorne, Ronon, Teyla, Holmes, Anderson and Poirot – you heard the Colonel's orders. Move out. McKay, Zelenka – you stay here with Muniz."

Grabbing a P-90 offered by Ronon, the Satedan clapping him on the back in a gesture of good luck, Sheppard nodded at the man before leading his team out, followed by the second team. Daniel asked Sheppard, loading his own P-90 as he tried not to look emotional,

"Sheppard?"

Sheppard called back, "We're getting her out, Jackson."

--------------------

Following directions over his headset from Muniz, and after shooting several Wraith en route with a combination of P-90 bullets and Wraith Stunners, Sheppard, Jennifer and the Jacksons arrived in the lab, with Carson who they had picked up and armed on the way. Muniz called over Sheppard's headset,

"Fifteen yards to your right, Sir."

They moved through an ante-chamber and came face to face with a low-lying glass sarcophagus, the base made of gold. Inside, much to their consternation, and on one level, relief, was Sam, appearing to be asleep, her hair now longer. Sheppard tapped the case and nearly leapt back in shock when he felt an electrical charge enter him via the glass. He warned everyone else not to touch it as Carson walked around, looking at the device.

Sheppard, noticing the Ancient script engraved in the gold, said, "Jacksons and Keller – get onto that."

The four of them knelt next to the sarcophagus, Daniel looking in concern at the face of his wife. As they translated, Carson said as Sheppard looked at him,

"Well, it looks as though Sam's in stasis but we're gonna need equipment to monitor her condition… but seeing as we can't touch this damn thing…"

Sheppard asked, "Can't you open it?"

Carson snapped, "I'm a Doctor, not a bloody Archaeologist!"

Daniel, Cammie and James' heads shot up, shooting the Doctor evil looks, and Carson shrugged before resuming her visual examination of Sam and the sarcophagus. Daniel said, distractedly,

"Ah, it looks like it is a stasis pod… uh, it won't open until the Guardian comes here."

Sheppard asked, amused, "Isn't that you?"

Daniel shook his head, and James replied, "Dad isn't the Guardian what with Mom dying in our timeline… it's the other guy who knocked Mom up."

Cammie and Daniel simultaneously elbowed the younger man, making him yelp quietly, and Jennifer, amused too, added, "Uh, we're going to need our Doctor J."

Daniel, impatient, said, "What we need is to get this damn thing open."

He reached out a hand to touch it and before anyone could object, he grimaced and quickly moved his hand away, remarking, "And that proves that I'm not him."

As he knelt, he gazed through the glass at Sam's peaceful face before saying, "We need the 'gate online."

Carson asked, "Aye, but what about the Wraith?"

"I don't know."


	55. Discussions

Carson, Cammie and James eventually managed to hook up various items of machinery to the sarcophagus to monitor Sam's life signs as the rest looked on, concerned but also wary of the aliens that had gained a foothold in the city. Sheppard, arming his P-90 again, called through his radio after the others had collectively shrugged when asked if there was any way to get the device open,

"Lorne, report."

Lorne's voice crackled back amidst P-90 and energy weapon fire as James put a consoling arm around a distraught Jennifer, Daniel kneeling next to the sarcophagus as he stared down at his wife, bereft, "We're almost there Sir. Enemy is being tricky but they're nowhere near your position and we're keeping it that way. How's the Colonel?"

Sheppard, glancing at the sarcophagus, replied, training his P-90 on the doorway through which they had come, "Oh, ol' Guinevere here's doing a Sleeping Beauty."

Daniel's, Cammie's and James' heads all shot up, a collective idea emerging in their minds. As Daniel and Cammie looked on thoughtful, Jennifer looked at James and asked, a mixture of hopefulness, fear and scepticism on her face, "You're going to get Doctor J here to kiss her?"

Sheppard, smirking at the sentiment, said to Lorne, "Ok, if you can spare a guy – get one or two – one if it's Ronon or Teyla – to escort McKay to our position. Oh, and make sure to tell him that we're about to die."

Sounding worried, Lorne called, "Sir?"

Sheppard replied in what he hoped was a tone of assurance, "Trust me, it'll work on him. Ok, good luck. Sheppard out."

James nodded as Daniel and Cammie exchanged a surprised look at Jennifer's question, the latter saying, "It's quite possible Dad. There's been this whole Knights of the Round Table thing around you and Mom… Galahad and Guinevere, Ameraudur, Myrddin… the Sangraal. Why not this?"

"Like Sleeping Beauty is Arthurian…"

Daniel sighed as he gazed down at Sam's face, tears in his eyes as he faced the prospect of losing her again despite their collective efforts, and he asked, his voice wavering with emotion, "Can we call Earth?"

Sheppard replied, "Like that's gonna happen – we've got Wraith all over this city and we can't risk them going through the base to say 'hello' to your younger self."

Carson looked across at Daniel from the other side of the sarcophagus and said, her eyes glistening with tears as well as fear, "We'll get her out of this, Daniel."

Daniel, his jaw clenching and unclenching, nodded as he raised a hand to touch the glass but quickly put it down, remembering what had happened the last time. He sighed, just as they heard McKay remark,

"I knew you couldn't manage without me on one of your combat shindigs."

Sheppard rolled his eyes, cocked his head to one side and remarked to Ronon, the Physicist's escort, "I thought I told Lorne to tell this guy we're all gonna die."

Ronon shrugged, replying, "I don't think the Major took it all that seriously."

The Satedan and the Physicist stepped forward, noticing the focal point of the room, and as James and Jennifer, and Cammie moved out of the way, they gaped at the inhabitant of the sarcophagus. McKay asked, unable to tear his eyes away from the device,

"Haven't you been able to open this?"

Daniel exhaled and remarked, "No, we thought we'd just sit by and leave my wife stuck in this damn thing!"

Daniel clenched his fists and was about to bang them down onto the glass, forgetting for a moment, and Cammie grabbed his shoulders, pulling him backwards and away from the device. The Archaeologist looked up at her briefly in acknowledgement, and McKay released an explosive breath, retorting,

"You could have just said that you couldn't open it…"

Stopping McKay from touching the glass, Cammie asked, looking testy, "Uncle Rod, can you open it?"

"Well, not if you won't let me touch it!"

Cammie, meeting Sheppard's gaze, smiled slightly before saying, releasing the Physicist's hand, "Sure."

McKay rolled his eyes and then promptly leapt back against Ronon's chest as an electrical charge ran up through his fingers. Looking rather similar to a goldfish, his mouth open, he asked, holding his hand up in shock,

"What was that?"

James replied, his eyebrows raised innocently as Sheppard and Carson looked on amused, "That, Uncle Rod, is why Cammie wouldn't let you touch that thing."

McKay, eventually getting over his shock, walked around the sarcophagus and then looked at the monitors that it was hooked up to. He held his chin in thought, and Sheppard remarked, "Today would be good… real good, seeing as we're about to die."

Ronon smirked as McKay looked at the Colonel to see if he was lying. Evidently, what he saw suggested that he wasn't, and he asked in a shaky voice,

"We are going to die?"

Jennifer, feeling bad at exploiting the man's brilliance but knowing of his reputation, said, "Oh yes, imminently. We need to get Sam out of this thing. Got any ideas other than bringing the younger Doctor J through the 'gate?"

McKay rolled his eyes and remarked, "Like that's going to happen! We need to decipher the Ancient…"

Daniel, his eyes closed as he fought to get a grip on his emotions, replied, "Already did that! Four Ancient readers here. Only Galahad can open it, and seeing as I'm not him, we need my younger self."

Cammie added, squeezing her father's shoulder briefly, "Like Sleeping Beauty."

McKay made a face, remarking, "You want us to… booty call the SGC…?!"

The Jacksons all glared at him, James replying in a cold voice, "Which Sleeping Beauty did you hear of?! We were referring to bit where the Prince wakes her up with a kiss. Admittedly, all that's required is for the Guardian to be here – there's no kissing mentioned."

Daniel put his hand to his head briefly before saying, "Ok, we need to contact Earth, immediately."

McKay rolled his eyes again and remarked, "Let's not get too hasty… there might be a trip circuit near the base…"

As he knelt, Cammie replied, "Already tried that. Can't touch it."

"There's always a way, Cameron."

Cammie rolled her eyes as McKay tentatively touched the gold at the base, exclaiming in pain when he received an electric shock. Cammie exhaled and said,

"Gold isn't a conductor, and that stuff is definitely AU, so… that isn't electricity."

Clutching his hand, McKay exclaimed, "Oh really?! I mean, what gave that way – the fact that I received a shock via a non-reactant?!"

Daniel held up a hand, his eyes still closed as he felt a migraine coming, and he said in a dangerously cold voice, "Ok, break it up – last thing you want is to scrape splattered Physicist off the walls."

He opened his eyes and turned to the Physicist, asking, "Can you open this?"

"Well, not if I can't touch it, but… ah, I'd need to use EM to interfere…"

Cammie and James exchanged a glance, the latter still standing with his arm around Jennifer, and the former replied, "Already tried that."

"Why did you get me here then?!"

Cammie shrugged as James replied, "Figured that you'd be able to pull an idea out of your butt if we told you that you'd die."

McKay, surprised, looked up and asked, indignant, "You mean, I'm not!?"

"Well…"

Cammie added, "Of course you are – we were just bringing it home, but we need to get Mom out of this. Her being beamed into here during an attack and at such a stage in her pregnancy suggests that it's some sort of defence mechanism, like with the white light before Christmas. If we stay here, we'll get killed for sure but we can't leave her."

McKay, the information sinking in, said, "You could always overload it."

Daniel shook his head, his eyes closed again and Cammie replied, "We'll risk her life and those of the babies."

James said, "We need to get the 'gate back online and get Dad… uh, younger Dad out here."

McKay remarked, "Oh, and just how are we going to do that?! You may not have noticed but we have a…"

The information finally sinking in, he sank further to the floor in his kneeling position and asked, sounding really panicked, "Oh my, she's going to die, isn't she? And then we'll all die because we can't get rid of the Wraith and…"

They all exchanged glances, rolling their eyes as McKay ignored all repeated attempts to clam up, so Jennifer quickly knelt by his side, turned him towards her and kissed him, thus shutting him up. Daniel and Cammie exchanged an amused glance despite the situation, as did Sheppard and Ronon, as James and Carson smirked, Jennifer closing her eyes in mortification at what she had just done, hoping that Lorne would understand.

McKay opened and closed his mouth several times, gaping in shock at what had just happened, his vocal skills non-functional. Cammie said, shooting a smirk at Jennifer,

"That shut you up. Now we need you to keep your head – you need to get the 'gate back online. I'll build a force shield around the control room to prevent the Wraith from interfering."

Daniel asked, looking worried, "Can you do it, Cameron?"

Cammie nodded, and Sheppard remarked, glancing at Ronon, "Need a beefy escort?"

Cammie nodded again and as Ronon approached, she dragged a still shocked McKay to a standing position, remarking, "Snap out of it, Uncle Rod."

James asked, "Cameron, I'm not letting you go by yourself."

Cammie replied, fixing her now cold eyes on her brother, "I can do this."

"I know you can but you're still going to need help… or maybe Uncle Rod will."

She sighed and replied, "Fine, come on brother."

They leant down to hug their father, who whispered in their holds, "Good luck you two."

Jennifer said, looking scared but trying not to, "But that leaves three of us here…"

Cammie and James exchanged a knowing glance before she reached into her pocket, aiming a small device similar to an electronic car key to a spot behind Carson. Pressing a button, she said with a grin,

"Surprise."

Everyone but the Jacksons gaped in shock and surprise as the black-clad figures of Jack, Teal'c, Cam, Vala and Jonas appeared, each of them looking much older than their present incarnations, except of course for Teal'c whose only sign of ageing was in the form of a grey streak in his hair, every one of them armed.

Jack, smirking, cocked his head and waved, remarking, "Miss us?"

Carson, surprised as most of the others, quickly stood up and moved away, asking, "How did you get here?"

Vala remarked with an innocent expression, long grey streaks in her otherwise dark hair, "Didn't you see us? When you met Cameron, we were behind her."

Sheppard shook his head, stunned and replied, "Nuh-uh, we just saw Jackson two and no-one else… Jackson one and Jackson three showed up later."

Cam, his hair a mixture of grey and brown, remarked as he gazed down at the sarcophagus, "How else do you think we got here? Only O'Neill's got the ATA gene."

Everyone else exchanged confused glances at the dropping of rank but chose not to say anything. Jack, gesturing to the sarcophagus, said,

"Vala, Jonas, get on that… find out anything that these guys missed. Mitchell, Teal'c – we'll just stand around looking pretty."

Jack looked up at Cammie and James, and said, "Go on now, kids. We've got this covered."

Cammie smiled slightly as James grinned, saying, "Nice to see you at this wavelength again, Uncle Jack."

"Well, couldn't let Space Monkey do his moody thing alone. Man, the fun we had watching you guys get shocked. Go on now, shoo – you've got another Space Monkey to call."


	56. Sarcophagal White Fay Part II

Earthside, as Daniel sat on the top step of the front porch with intrigued looking Cammie in his lap, quietly singing down to her as he clapped her hands together, Jack bouncing a giggling James up in his hold, the Archaeologist suddenly paused, a surprised expression on his face. Cammie, noticing this, craned her neck to look up at her father, her cerulean eyes questioning as she asked,

"Daddy?"

Daniel, looking out across the front yard, unseeing, said quietly, "Jack, we need to get to Atlantis."

Jack stopped bouncing James and sat next to Daniel, asking, "Daniel?"

Daniel closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, saying, "We need to get to Atlantis… you, me and SG-1."

"Ok… don't tell me you've OD'd on your allergy meds again."

Daniel nodded slightly and said, "Jack, you're going to have to trust me on this – I just have this really strong feeling that we need to get to Atlantis now."

"So, their 'gate offline ring a bell?"

Jack looked at his friend for a moment before saying slowly, "It's not that I don't trust you but…"

He gestured with his hands before continuing, throwing his hands down as James played with them, "I can't finish that."

Daniel got up and said, going indoors, "We could at least try dialling them instead of thinking that I'm nuts."

Looking thoughtful, Jack said with a sigh, "Well…"

--------------------

After forcing a bemused Vala to get a blood test by an equally if not more bemused Carolyn, SG-1, Daniel and Jack, stood in the control room behind Walter as the Sergeant went through the familiar dialling process. Cam asked, uneasily glancing at Daniel,

"So… Jackson, what do you expect to find?"

Daniel exhaled as he gazed at the 'gate in motion, replying, "The city and everyone intact… hopefully."

Jack remarked, "It's crazy."

Teal'c said, placing a hand on Daniel's shoulder in a show of support, "I for one do not believe that DanielJackson is delusional."

The rest of SG-1 exchanged glances, and Vala remarked, "Well, we know that I'm not pregnant and that it's safe for me to go through the Stargate, although it took some persuading on Daniel's part to get Carolyn to let me go without those pesky injections."

Jonas asked, looking intrigued, "What did you see?"

Daniel replied, "It wasn't so much as what I saw but what I felt. I just knew that something's happened and they need us. I just feel as though their 'gate's online again."

Much to everyone's surprise, including his admittedly, Walter called, "Chevron eight, locked!"

The team exchanged glances, and Daniel said to the Sergeant, "Don't transmit a message."

Walter looked up at him, confused and said, "Sir? If I don't, you could hit the shield."

SG-1 and Jack shot the Archaeologist little looks, reminding him with their eyes that they valued their lives, and Daniel said as he led them down the steps, into the corridor and eventually into the gateroom, "We won't."

Jack, fixing his olive-green baseball cap on his head, remarked, "Well, even if we die, it'll be nice going through the 'gate again. Boy, I've missed the ol' Orifice."

As Cam and Jonas looked at him oddly, Daniel choosing to ignore him as he walked up the ramp, pausing before the active event horizon, Jack asked, feigning innocence as he looked around at the team, patting his P-90, "What?"

Vala shook her head, smiling slightly as Daniel raised a hand, the palm facing the event horizon, a white light streaming from it and mingling with the rippling surface. The team looked on, surprised, Cam asking, clearing his throat, "Jackson?"

Jack asked, "Daniel… what are you doing?"

Daniel replied, obviously concentrating, "I don't know."

Blinking in surprise, Jack remarked, "You don't know?"

"Nope, not an idea, although I get the feeling that we'll be able to go through without giving them a little splatting show."

Jack glanced around at the rest of the team, remarking, "You buying this?"

Teal'c stepped forward, his face impassive as he said, Jonas, Cam and Vala eventually standing shoulder to shoulder with him, "DanielJackson's mind contains the knowledge of the Ancients. Even if this was not so, I trust him wholeheartedly."

Cam, glancing around at his team, added, "Here, here."

Vala and Jonas patted Teal'c on the shoulder as Daniel's arms fell down to his side, and Jack stepped forward, ready to catch him as he asked, concern evident in his voice, "Daniel?"

Daniel relaxed his shoulders, replied, his back to his friends, "I'm alright. That just took a lot."

Moving closer to the Archaeologist, Jack clamped a hand on his shoulder, and Daniel continued, glancing over his shoulder at him, "I'm fine, really."

Jack patted him on the shoulder and said, glancing back at SG-1, "Ok, come on folks, let's roll."

SG-1 readied themselves as Daniel and then Jack stepped through the event horizon, the team following suit, somehow sensing that they were going to have one heck of an adventure. Just before stepping through, Cam remarked, glancing at Vala,

"Story to tell the kids?"

Vala smiled, replying as she tightened her hold on her P-90, "I hope so… got to get back to trying on that when we come home again."

Cam, half-seriously glared at her, shaking his head slightly in amusement as they stepped through the event horizon.

--------------------

Daniel and the team arrived safely, much to their collective relief, in Atlantis and were met by the surprised and shocked faces of Cammie, James, Radek, McKay and Sergeant Muniz. Muniz, swallowing, called into his headset,

"Sir, SG-1, Doctor Jackson and General O'Neill have just arrived through the 'gate."

Nodding as he heard Sheppard's reply, Muniz said to McKay, "Doctor McKay, take them to the lab."

McKay was about to acquiesce when Jack and the team peered at the twins, Jack remarking, "You look familiar."

Daniel stepped forward and stared at the two sets of cerulean eyes staring right back at him, surprised at how different he looked. McKay exhaled and said, careful not to reveal the twins' identity,

"How did you know to come through? We only just got the 'gate online."

Daniel nodded, barely acknowledging the question as he continued his scrutiny of the twins. His gaze softened as he realised who they were, and he pulled them both into a hug as his friends exchanged confused glances. Daniel whispered,

"Oh, I should have known you two would be the Marty McFlys… who's the other one?"

James and Cammie's eyes met briefly but they said nothing, and Jonas asked, SG-1 and Jack surprised in varying degrees, "These are… these are James and Cameron?"

Jack suddenly smiled and said, stepping forward, "I thought I was going nuts. We just left you two back home…"

He added with a smirk, "Just started potty-training you."

The twins immediately looked embarrassed, James saying, "Uncle Jaaack!"

Daniel was about to say something when his eyes suddenly closed and he said, "We have to go."

As everyone looked on, still surprised, he walked out of the control room, instantly knowing where he was going. James sprinted after him, calling,

"Dad, don't you want us to tell you where to go?"

Daniel called back as everyone else caught up with him, "I don't know. I just know where to go."

Jack clapped his hands and was about to say something when McKay said, gulping, "We've got Wraith hanging around, and he's going off like that…"

SG-1 and Jack immediately loaded their P-90's, Cam remarking, "We've got some shooting up to do."

Teal'c added with a cold expression, "Indeed, but would zat'nika'tels not be more effective?"

Vala replied, "They haven't been tested on the Wraith."

Jonas remarked, glancing around his surroundings, "No time like the present."

They came across their first Wraith in a corridor, coming face to face with several of them, and as SG-1 and Jack released a volley of bullets and zat blasts, Daniel, closing his eyes in concentration, raised his hands, sending out a white energy blast, immediately destroying the Wraith on contact.

The party continued walking, the twins, Radek and McKay looked on in shock but knowing that they had to keep going. James, shocked, asked,

"Dad?"

Daniel replied brusquely, "Questions later, Junior. We need to get to where we're going."

Cammie remarked with a shrug, "That's what we're pretty much doing in life anyway…"

--------------------

After blasting more Wraith, Daniel led the party into the room where Sam's sarcophagus lay. He barely registered the others present as he knelt down next to his older self, Teal'c noticing the man but not saying anything.

Suddenly, a grey metallic canister appeared in Daniel's hand, and he pressed a button, a long, glowing beam of blue light shooting out of it, forming something resembling a light sabre. Cam, kneeling down on the other side of him, asked,

"Jackson?"

"Not a clue, Mitchell."

Gazing down at Sam's face through the glass, Daniel stabbed the ground near his right knee, the beam plunging into the floor. Only then did he notice Sam's considerably enlarged abdomen, and Jack remarked from behind them,

"Wow, I _was_ right – you did knock her up."

Daniel, almost losing his focus, fought to retain it before raising his hands above the glass, a white light glowing from them as he closed his eyes, everyone looking on in surprise, shock and fascination. The glass appeared to shift, and the older Jack remarked,

"Space Monkey's got something gnarly going down."

Only then did SG-1 notice the other team, and they immediately raised their P-90s, shocked, surprised and the rest, as did the older team. Cammie and James quickly stepped forward but the older Daniel stopped them, saying quietly,

"Put your guns down."

Daniel, surprised, turned to look at the man as weapons were lowered all round, the glowing unaffected, and he said, "You're me."

Older Daniel nodded, replying as he gazed down at Sam's peaceful countenance, "Yes, although technically I'm not now."

"How…?"

Older Daniel whispered, "It's yours… or rather _they're_ yours. Right before they took the 'gate offline."

Almost gasping in surprise, and yet feeling guilty at doubting Sam, however slightly, Daniel nodded, and Cam said, surprised as the rest, "Keep focussing Jackson."

Daniel nodded and gazed down at Sam, tears glistening in his eyes as the glass continued shifting and eventually dissolving. Older Daniel fought the urge to touch Sam as Daniel squeezed her hand, Carson checking her pulse as Brightman was escorted into the room by Lorne's team, who took up defensive positions near the doorway, momentarily gaping in surprise at what was happening.

Jennifer suggested from behind Daniel, "You could try kissing her."

No-one had the heart to chuckle as Daniel gently caressed his wife's cheek, before leaning down and gently kissing her on the lips. As he straightened up, they all watched the comatose woman for any changes in her condition.

Suddenly, she awoke with a gasp, the Jacks remarking in unison, "Sleeping Beauty Carter."

The Atlantis personnel looked on, bemused at the exchange as Sam sat up, wincing whilst looking very confused as her gaze moved around the room, her eyebrows raising on seeing two SG-1s. She smiled slightly on seeing the older Daniel, but when her gaze moved to her Daniel, she gasped and pulled him into a tight hug, whispering as tears welled in her eyes,

"Daniel! Oh my God, I've missed you so much!"

He whispered against her neck, tears in his own eyes, "Me too Sam…"

As older Jack smirked slightly, his SG-1 looking on with a mixture of wistfulness and hope, Jack remarked, "Carter, come on, you don't wanna make yourself a widow before those… kiddies of yours are born…"

Kissing Daniel's neck, Sam whispered, looking overcome, "Sorry."

She reached up a hand, cupping his jaw as she stroked his cheek with her thumb, whispering, "You owe me a kiss, Jackson."

Daniel smiled slightly, retorting, "Later, Colonel. I think you've got some explaining to do."

"You too."

Lorne called, breaking the moment as energy weapons fire could be heard, "Sorry but we've got hostiles coming."

Daniel, gazing at her for a moment, stood and turned, raising his hands, a huge bolt of white light surging from his hands as everyone looked on, agape. Teyla, standing near Jack, asked, amazed,

"General O'Neill?"

"That… we've got a lot of crap to get through later on."

Sheppard remarked as he peered through the doorway, "I'll say."

Sam, scared, asked as Daniel returned, "Daniel?"

Daniel, kneeling down once more, replied, "Later, I promise."

Older Daniel regarded him for a moment before asking, "What now?"

Daniel shrugged and opened his mouth to speak when Sam suddenly looked stunned. She closed her eyes and lay back down, breathing heavily as she said, "Oh boy."

The Daniels exchanged a glance, the younger asking, "Oh boy?"

Jack exclaimed, "Jesus, she's got great timing."

Daniel held her hand, asking as he smoothed her forehead, noticing the long hair, "Sam?"

Her eyes opened and he noticed how pained she looked as she replied, still breathing heavily, "Daniel, I think they're coming."

"They as in…?"

"The babies!"

"Oh boy."

Brightman and Carson snapped into action, and Sam began to cry, whispering as she grimaced in pain, "Oh God… not now."

Older Daniel swapped places with his younger self so that Daniel was closer to Sam's head. Daniel gently kissed her forehead, whispering,

"Come on Sam, we're all here."

Older Daniel held her hand as Cam smoothed her bump, the older man remarking, "All three births."

Cam smiled slightly, retorting, "Can't get rid of me."

The Colonel moved to Sam's other side, holding her other hand as her body was wracked with contractions. Sheppard pressed his earpiece in for a moment before saying,

"Crap, those ships are powering up their weapons."

Sam, squeezing Daniel's hand during a particularly bad contraction, whispered, "It's happening too quickly…"

Brightman called, "Colonel, how far apart?"

"Ten seconds."

Carson remarked, exhaling, "That _is _quick."

Daniel whispered, leaning over Sam, "Honey, I've got to go away for a while but I'll be back, I promise. You won't be alone."

He tenderly kissed her cheek, as she whispered, crying, "Daniel…"

"I promise."

Nodding to the older Daniel who squeezed her hand as everyone else watched Daniel, the Archaeologist stood up and closed his eyes, raising his hands as blasts of white light exploded from his hands and burst through the ceiling. Everyone, including a gasping Sam, gazed up at the light in amazement.

Sheppard, holding his earpiece in once more, called, "Whoa, all Wraith ships have been destroyed."

Jack caught Daniel just in time as the younger man collapsed from the exertion, the older man remarking, "Easy tiger. You ok?"

Daniel nodded, whispering, "Thanks."

"Hey, any time, Space Monkey."

Jack helped him to stand just as Sam called, gasping, "Daniel?"

Daniel quickly returned to her side, smoothing her forehead and taking her hand as his older self moved out of the way, whispering, "Told you I'd be back."

She whispered, closing her eyes, "It hurts."

"Oh, I've got that."

He let go of her hand, and, as she looked up at him, confused and scared, he raised his hands above her abdomen, closing his eyes as glowing white light bathed the bump. Exhaling, she remarked, shocked,

"The pain's gone."

She stared up at him, still shocked, and he nodded slightly as he took her hand once more. Carson asked as Brightman looked on, surprised, "Daniel? What did you just do?"

Daniel shrugged, replying innocently, "I have no idea."

Cammie and James, like everyone else, stared at the Archaeologist, who looked up at Sheppard, remembering something, and said, breaking into a grin,

"I nearly forgot. Congratulations Sheppard. Seven pounds, three ounces – 15th January 2010 – a girl – Charlotte Danielle Weir-Sheppard."

Sam grinned as Sheppard looked on, stunned as two SG-1s, McKay and Radek took turns in congratulating him. Older Daniel, glancing back at his equally surprised children, asked,

"Danielle?"

Daniel met his gaze, replying, "Oh yeah… Liz's idea – I was there during the birth."

Sheppard asked, his gaze softening, "How is she?"

"Just fine. Baby's doing well too. She's got dark hair just like you. Liz broke my hand."

Teal'c clapped the Colonel on the shoulder, and suddenly, Sam gasped, grimacing in pain as she remarked, breathing heavily once more, "Oh boy…"

Everyone's attention shifted to her once again as she shut her eyes tightly, whimpering at the sudden rush of pain as she clutched Daniel's hand. Older Daniel remarked with a slight smile tinged with overwhelming concern,

"Looks like you'll get two broken hands."

Daniel attempted to relieve her pain but to no avail, and he whispered, gazing down at her, "I'm so sorry Sam."

Sam asked, gazing up at him, "Daniel?"

"I can't take your pain any more… I don't know why."

She was about to reply when she whimpered, shutting her eyes tightly once more as contraction after contraction hit her with brutal force. She cried out in pain and he whispered, kissing her forehead,

"I'm sorry."

Brightman called, "Colonel, you can start pushing now."

"Come on honey, push."

Sam, controlling her breathing but screaming nonetheless, pushed as everyone took it upon themselves to coach her before Daniel shot a cold glare at them, silencing them. Crying out in pain as she squeezed his hand, she whispered,

"Oh God, it hurts so much… it never hurt this much with Cameron."

Cammie quietly remarked, "Well, seeing as I'm normal…"

James elbowed her, saying as he looked hurt, "Cameron…"

Older Daniel's head shot around, glaring at them as he hissed, "Now is neither the time nor the place to fight! Cameron, leave your brother alone."

Cammie rolled her eyes as the teams smirked, and Sam continued gasping as she screamed at the pain. Daniel, the pain in his hand growing, whispered, tears in his eyes,

"Sam, I'm so damn proud of you. Come on."

Suddenly, white light shot up the walls, all around the gathered personnel, who aimed their various firearms at it, unsure of what it was. A voice rang out,

"Oh, did you really think I'd miss this?"

Everyone gaped in surprise as Jacob, in what appeared to be Daniel's casual ascended wardrobe, appeared with an old woman looking rather similar to Saroosh, and the Daniels said in unison, shocked before glancing at each other,

"Dad."

Jacob smiled and remarked to Selmak, "I wouldn't mind that man as my son, Sel but seeing he's married to my Sammy…"

He made a face, and Jack remarked, looking around at the white light, "Surprise after surprise."

As Cam shifted so that Jacob could kneel near Sam's head, Sam looked up, grimacing in pain and saying, crying, "Dad."

Jacob, kneeling as Selmak stood behind him, replied as he took her hand, gently kissing it before holding it, "Wouldn't miss this for the world, Sammy."

She smiled through her pain before screaming at the pain, and Brightman called as James grimaced, having seen more than he had ever wanted to, "One more push, Colonel."

Sam, breathless, steeled herself before screaming as she gave her all in that single push, her husband and her father holding each hand. Daniel gently kissed her forehead, whispering,

"Oh, I'm so proud of you, Samantha."

She shut her eyes, whispering as she felt as though her lower half was being ripped off, "You could try being here."

"I did it once."

Jacob smoothed her forehead, remarking with a grin, "You're doing great."

Sam smiled briefly and James whispered, drawing their attention to the delivery end, "Whoa, that's… oh dear God…"

They saw Carson and Brightman lift two bloodied babies into view, and Sam remarked, very, very drained, "Oh, I'm not doing this again."

She closed her eyes as the Doctors performed tests on the babies, cleaning them up. Suddenly, a huge blast of white light emanated from them, swamping the room, and Sam, scared, asked,

"Daniel?"

Daniel, gazing along with everyone else around themselves, squeezed his now weak hand, replying, "I don't know."

He looked across at Jacob and asked, "Dad?"

Jacob looked up at Selmak and then back at Daniel, then at Sam, replying, "Your babies just killed the Wraith and the Asurans."

Everyone gasped in collective surprise, Sheppard asking, "They're gone… just like that?"

Jacob remarked, grinning down at his daughter, "Oh, that took a lot of power."

Daniel slowly approached the Doctors as they finished up, and they handed him the now wrapped babies, the medics still stunned, and Carson said, slowly smiling,

"Congratulations Daniel – a boy and a girl."

Daniel gazed down at the babies in his arms, noticing their fair hair, and he laughed, almost hysterically, whispering, "I'm a Dad again!"

As safely as possible, he moved back to Sam as she gazed up at him, smiling tiredly, and he continued, overcome, "We're parents again."

He gently kissed her forehead, whispering, "I'm so proud of you, Samantha. My God… this is… wow."

Jacob remarked, grinning, "Hey, I've got all my Sammy's kids in the room!"

Sam smiled up at Jacob, saying, "Congratulations, Grandpa."


	57. 2010 World Series

As both SG-1s formed a protective ring around the sarcophagus, the Daniels, Jacob and Cam still kneeling with Cammie and James standing with Jennifer, Lorne's men, Ronon, Teyla and Sheppard forming a protective outer circle, their firearms aimed at the glowing light that still danced up and down the walls, Jacob met Daniel's gaze for a moment. The two men came to some sort of an understanding, much to older Daniel, and Cam's, as well as Sam and the rest's collective confusion. Daniel gently handed Sam the babies and whispered, smoothing her forehead,

"Lay down, Sam."

Her brow furrowed in confusion, and she asked, scared, "Daniel?"

"Trust me."

Still looking worried, she did as she was told, still holding the babies but scared that they could fall. Smoothing the crown of one baby, he gently kissed Sam before raising his hands above her, a white light emanating from them once more. As she tensed up in fear as everyone else looked at the Archaeologist strangely, he whispered, meeting her gaze,

"It's ok. Everything's going to be fine. Relax."

Suddenly, her entire body as well as the newborn twins, was bathed in a brilliant white light, the glow reflecting off everyone's faces as the military amongst them instinctively trained their firearms, both military and civilian contingents gaping in shock and awe.

A few moments later, the glowing stopped as he shut his eyes tight, his task taking a lot of energy. Cam held him as a precautionary measure before everyone's eyes moved to a much calmer and refreshed looking Sam, who sat up, still holding the babies. Jack asked, waving his gun about as he did so,

"Carter, you ok? You were… glowing."

Sam's gaze moved from face to face, and she replied, smiling as she saw Jack, "Yes Sir. I don't know what Daniel did."

She turned to Daniel, looking concerned, and asked as she swivelled from her reclining position into a seated position, her feet on the floor, "Daniel?"

Daniel straightened up and with a tired smile, replied, "I'm fine, Sam."

"What did you just do?"

He shook his head and replied, "I have no idea."

Cam remarked, glancing at the Archaeologist, "Jackson's been going Ancient on us."

As the older SG-1, Cammie and James, the Atlantis personnel and the older Daniel looked shocked at the remark, Sam remarked, worried, "You better not be ascending. I really did mean it when I said…"

He nodded and replied quietly, "I know, and I'm not… I was aware of it the last time. I'll tell you everything later, I promise."

Jacob said with a smile from behind her, making her turn her head to look at her father, "Oh, he's not ascending. I'm not good with words so… Wait a sec, I didn't introduce this delightful young lady here."

He gestured behind him to Selmak, and older Jack remarked, "That was rude of you, Jacob."

"Well… yeah."

Older Daniel asked, "Who is she?"

Jacob smiled and replied, a twinkle in his eye, "This is Selmak."

The SG-1s, the twins, the Daniels and Sam exchanged odd looks, and Sheppard said, an eyebrow raised, "Hey, I thought Selmak was a dude."

Sam added, looking confusedly at Teal'c, "I thought symbiotes didn't have a gender."

Teal'c said, "Only the Queens are what you would consider females. The rest, I presume you would consider males although they do not always have the required characteristics."

Jack remarked, glancing at his older self, "No pissing contests or…"

Daniel, taking a baby from Sam as Cam took the other one; older Daniel and the rest taking turns to look at them, closed his eyes briefly and said, exasperated, "Jaaack. They work in a similar way to drones although they do have their own personalities… as we have encountered."

Older Cam remarked, "Tell me about it."

Everyone looked at Jacob expectantly, and he said, grinning, "Sel liked Saroosh better after spending so long with little ol' me, so she chooses a female form when she wants to be corporeal."

The Jacks, the Cams, Sheppard, and Lorne's men snorted with laughter as Sam smiled, shaking her head slightly, remarking, "I think six years was a bit much… Dad."

Selmak remarked with a smirk, "That is an understatement, Samantha."

Jacob grinned and then said, "Right, back to where I was going before I got sidetracked by being a gentleman."

He gestured to the glowing walls and said as everyone looked around themselves once more, "You've got a surprise in store."

Vala remarked, glancing over at her older self as she knelt on the floor between Cam and Daniel to look at the babies, disarming her P-90 for safety's sake, "Surprise? I think we've been surprised enough, Jacob Carter."

Cam, looking over to his left to gaze at her with a soft smile, replied, "We can never be surprised enough in our jobs."

Older Jack remarked, "Yeah, when you think you've seen everything there is to see in the great above and beyond, something always knocks out you from left field."

The Teal'cs said in chorus, making everyone, including themselves smile, "Indeed."

Older Cam remarked as he glanced at older Vala, "Oh, he's wanted to do that for years."

Older Vala grinned at a smirking older Teal'c, and older Daniel, gazing down at the baby in his younger self's arms, said, "What's the surprise?"

Jacob remarked as the white lights dancing on the walls exploded, surprising the heck out of everyone, into corporeal forms as the Teal'cs, Ronon and Teyla knelt, "The 2010 World series."

As everyone gaped as the glowing died down, revealing recognisable human forms in white that stepped forward as Jacob introduced them, Jacob continued, "Atalanta, the great ancient Greek female athlete; Thetis, mother of Achilles; Danae, mother of Perseus; Alcmene, mother of Hercules; Leda, mother of Castor and Pollux as well as Helen of Troy; Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis; Nike, the Greek goddess of Victory; Cadmus, King of Thebes; Eilyeithia, Greek goddess of childbirth; Romulus, father of Rome; Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of good fortune; the Lady of the Lake; Arthur of Camlann… you've met, as well as Morgan Le Fay and Shifu… oh and…"

A final female figure emerged into view, making everyone's jaws practically drop as she regarded them with her usual serene expression, and Jacob added, grinning, "… this is… Oma DeSala, the Swahili mother nature."

A stunned silence fell on the room, no-one sure of quite what to say, the Daniels exchanging a shocked look. Sam exhaled as she briefly squeezed the edge of the sarcophagus that she still sat on, and she placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder, making him glance back at her before continuing to gape at the Ascended beings in front of them.

Daniel eventually found his voice as he said, flummoxed but choosing to face Oma first, as Jacob and Selmak grinned behind him in varying degrees, "Oma… I thought you were fighting Anubis."

Oma stepped forward, approaching Daniel as she said in her calm way, "I was, Daniel Jackson, but Anubis is no longer."

The Daniels exchanged a confused glance, older Daniel saying, sounding equally flummoxed, "I thought you were equally matched."

Serenely smiling, Oma replied, "We were, until the Others chose to assist."

Vala asked, glancing around at her team, "Wait a minute, I thought the Ascended beings weren't allowed to interfere in the lower plains, and that you had to battle Anubis for all eternity to make up for letting him ascend?"

"As the tide turns here, so does it turn elsewhere."

Daniel asked, confused as his gaze shifted momentarily to a teenaged Shifu, "You've changed? The Others changed their non-interference rules?"

Morgan stepped forward and replied, looking straight at him as she had once done before she appeared to have been whisked away by the Others years ago, "Not long after your experiences with us, the Others decided to change their laws. We did not assist with your battles because we had to allow you develop as a race."

Oma continued, "Prior to the change, the incumbents of the higher plains were already aware of the coming of the Guardian and the Listener. We were also aware that the Guardian was to be you. When you came to Kheb and wished to take the boy, we demonstrated that you were not yet ready to take care of one of such great power."

The Daniels, tears brightening their eyes, dropped their gazes, the younger to the squirming baby in his arms as Sam squeezed his shoulder in support, tears in her own eyes as she understood why Daniel was upset, and he said, his voice cold as he briefly glanced up at Oma,

"You could have told me. Shifu was my link to Sha're."

"You were not yet ready Daniel Jackson. Now, you have experienced much, fought valiantly and learnt many lessons in the process. The path may appear short, but the journey is long. Saplings succumb to great storms, but mighty oaks stand firm."

Oma continued, her serene gaze developed into one of pride and sympathy, "You are ready, Daniel Jackson. You and Samantha have sired children of unimaginable power who will ensure your safety and that of the home realm. We knew long ago what would happen – that is why we did not interfere earlier."

She added with a smile, "Ascended beings have the power to learn too. You taught us that our laws were restrictive and potentially harmful to ourselves. We owe you and your comrades an eternity and beyond of gratitude. The children are our gift to you, and were intended to be born earlier had previous events not occurred, although they did assist in this outcome."

As the Daniels' and the Valas' gazes moved to Morgan, Morgan stepped forward and said, "I was taken away for this reason. Our laws had changed but if you were to know, it would not have changed events for the better. The fight against the Ori was the ultimate test of your abilities as a race, and to be assisted more than necessary, the fight would not have been yours."

Sam leant forward to wrap her arms around Daniel's shoulders, her chin on his shoulder as she kissed his neck, and he whispered down at the baby in his arms, overcome, "I… I can't believe it."

Older Daniel, overcome too, met Oma's gaze, and asked, "What did you mean when you said the laws had changed?"

Oma replied, gesturing towards the other Ascended beings, "The non-interference law has been modified. We will no longer reserve our power amongst ourselves and watch as those in the lower plains suffer. We learnt a valuable lesson because of you Daniel Jackson, and we wish to build upon it. The others of the great five races are no longer – as for us, we are no longer corporeal.

"The power to change the future and shape of the Milky Way and wider Universe is in your hands, and the Duality is our gift of thanks to you. Also…"

She smiled once more as she gazed down at the Daniels, and she continued, "Ascension shall be available to whomsoever wishes to achieve it, and it is now our duty to assist those who seek it."

Jacob remarked from behind Sam, "Speaking of which…"

Sam, the Daniels, Cam and the twins and everyone else looked at Jacob, confused as he addressed the older SG-1, "Did you really think that we'd just let you kill yourselves?"

Sam gasped in horror at the revelation, and older Vala rolled her eyes. Older Jonas replied, "We were just going to get absorbed into the time stream, Jacob. That doesn't entail dying."

Older Jack added, "Just…"

He and older Cam said in unison, resulting in them meeting each other's gazes in confused surprise, "… absorbing."

As Jacob raised an eyebrow at them, Cammie sighed and said, "Well… Grandpa's got a point."

Daniel, confused as the rest of his team, looked around at the older team before asking older Daniel, "You were going to just go… just like that?"

Older Daniel replied, "Yes, we were. We've done what we came to do here."

"Come home with us."

"And do what? I've had this conversation with Sam already."

Sheppard asked, "What's gonna happen?"

Jacob gestured for older SG-1 to follow him as he and Selmak walked to the other side of the sarcophagus, Sam asking, scared, "Dad?"

As older Daniel and the twins stood to join the group, Jacob replied, gesturing towards the other Ancients, "No-one's gonna die, Sam… trust me."

The older team closed their eyes, their faces beginning to glow, when Sam said, quickly getting up and stepping past Daniel and Vala, "Wait! You can't just leave like that!"

The glowing stopped, and Sam continued, gazing at older Daniel, "I want to be able to say goodbye before this ascension."

She hugged the twins, whispering, "I am so proud of both of you, ok? Really, really proud of you. Thanks for everything."

Cammie quickly wiped away tears as she nodded, and James replied, his voice breaking with emotion, "Thanks Mom – that means a lot."

Cammie added, "It was nice getting to know you these past months, Mom."

Sam hugged them again before moving on to older Jack, who said after gazing at her solemnly for a moment, "Just in case my younger self doesn't get a chance to say this, I am so damn proud of you, Carter… always have been. You're a great officer and I've missed you."

She saluted him, and he returned the gesture before they shook hands, and she said, "Thank you. It was an honour serving with you, Sir."

"Anytime Carter… anytime."

She exchanged fond farewells with each member of the team, until she reached older Daniel. They gazed at each other for a moment before she pulled him into a hug, and he said, tears in his eyes, "Thank you for giving me these months with you, Sam. I was seriously lost without you."

Sam smiled as they parted, replying, "Daniel, I want you to know this – it was never your fault, ok? From what you've told me before, ascension requires that you let go, and you need this. Thank you so much for being here for me."

She gently kissed him on the cheek as he gazed at her, sadness in his eyes, and Daniel, getting up behind her, asked, confused as he still held the baby, "Uh… wait a sec, where's the other Sam?"

He remarked with a smirk, his cheeks reddening nonetheless as he gazed at his wife, "I'll bet she's hot."

Sam covered her face with her hand as the older team's and the twins' gazes dropped to their feet. Daniel, realisation dawning on him, gazed down at the baby in his arms, saying,

"Oh."

Sam nodded, replying, "Oh is right. I'll tell you later."

Her gaze shifted back to the older team before she stepped closer to Daniel, gazing down at the baby briefly, and older Daniel said, closing his eyes to stem the flow of tears, "Take good care of her, Daniel. You really don't know who you've got there."

Daniel nodded and he said to the twins, "Thank you for whatever you did. I'm sure your Mom will tell me what happened later. And… I'm proud of you too."

He hugged them both as they whispered their thanks, and Jacob clapped his hands, remarking, "Okay, let's get this show on the road!"

Older Cam and older Vala held hands, gazing at each other briefly, and Selmak retorted, smirking, "Jacob, ascension is not for entertainment purposes, performed on a public thoroughfare or otherwise."

Jacob rolled his eyes, and asked the 'ascendees', "Are you ready?"

Glancing at each other, and then at the younger SG-1 who were gathered around Sam and Daniel with the Atlantis personnel, older Jack said, a determined expression on his face, "Yeah, knock yourselves out."

Jacob turned to Sam and pulled her into a hug, saying, "Oh so proud of you, Sammy… I'll drop in on you some other time."

He shook hands with Daniel, and smoothed the crowns of both babies before returning his attention to the older team, who then held hands, and everyone heard whisperings echo around them as the Ascended beings began to glow too, tendrils of light touching the backs of the team.

Daniel, cradling the baby in the crook of his left arm, held Sam with his other as they watched the team convert into orangey-yellow energy, rising through the roof of the lab at the same time as the Ascended beings converted into masses of white energy, following them, various items of clothing from the team left on the floor.

No-one moved or said anything for a long moment until the babies began to cry, and Brightman, taking control, said, "Ok, first things first – we need to get to the Sick bay. Colonel, you need to get checked out, and those babies need to be fed."

Carson sighed and added, "Aye, you may have just had the glowy thing done to you, but nothing beats Earth medicine… What a day it's been, eh?"

Daniel, gazing at his wife with an awed smile, replied as he returned his gaze to the babies in his and Cam's holds, "I'll say."

His arm still around Sam, they followed the medics out of the lab, back to the Sick bay, Vala remarking as she took a baby from Cam, "Well, at least… at least one of these delightful babies didn't turn out to be an evil little thing."

Teal'c replied, "Indeed… that would be of great annoyance."

As the rest of the team glanced at him oddly, Jack remarked, grinning as he patted his P-90, "I just _love_ how you say it so calmly. We should get you to report bad news to the President. _The tuber order is of an immensely erroneous nature._"

Cam chuckled and retorted, "Oh man, that'd be fun."

Jonas replied, grinning as they left the lab, resulting in Teal'c shooting him an eyebrow, "Are you kidding? Grandpa Teal'c's always fun!"


	58. Home

As SG-1, Jack and the Atlantis personnel stood in the doorway of the Sick bay, Sam and the babies were checked out by Carson and Brightman, as were a few of Lorne's men who had been shot by Wraith in an earlier skirmish. Daniel stood over the cots of the newest additions to the Carter and Jackson family trees, smiling down at them, still feeling overcome at the fact of being a father again, as well as at the recent revelations and events in the sarcophagus room.

Due to this state of emotional instability, he found it hard to think of names and decided to wait for his wife. He caressed their cheeks, whispering as he bent over the cots,

"Hello there."

They squirmed, their eyes closed, and he smiled slightly. Carson's voice made him turn to see Sam rolling the sleeves of her new jacket down, smiling, the Doctor saying, surprised,

"You're fine, Sam. You don't even have pregnancy hormones in your blood… I think that glowy thing rejuvenated you."

Daniel, meeting his wife's gaze briefly, asked, "Can we go home?"

"Oh yes…"

Jack stepped into the room, saying, "Yep, you've all gotta come with, in that case. I've got some SG-teams and scientists in the control room now working on rebuilding and construction of the city. Those Wraith sure did kick the crap out of this place before getting glowed out."

He continued with a clap of his hands, "To Oz?"

Sam and Daniel picked up their babies, gazing at each other, smiling, and then the Archaeologist remarked, raising an eyebrow at Jack, "Only if you're Dorothy."

Jack raised an eyebrow, retorting, "Thank God we found Carter… these past months have changed you in more ways than one, Daniel…"

Sam, grinning at Daniel, replied, "I don't think Daniel's gay, Sir… well, not in _that_ way."

"Too much information, Carter."

--------------------

Earthside, everyone gaped in shock, the gateroom personnel's guns lowering as they saw not only SG-1, Daniel and Jack, but also Sam, the babies as well as the Atlantis personnel walking down the gate ramp. Reynolds, standing to attention at the base of the ramp, said, bemused,

"Welcome back everyone."

Jack looked at Teal'c, who said, "It will be a long narrative, ColonelReynolds."

Jack turned back to Reynolds, saying with a smirk as he passed him, patting him on the shoulder, "Oh yes."

McKay remarked, "Well, that is one hell of an understatement, Teal'c. What else do you have up your sleeves…?"

Teal'c replied as they left the gateroom, "Arms."

The Atlantis personnel and the rest of SG-1 leaving, Sam and Daniel stood in front of Reynolds, who was scratching his head in confusion, Daniel saying, "Latest additions to the Carter-Jackson family tree."

Reynolds gaped in surprise as he looked from the babies to Sam, and asked, "You were pregnant out there?"

Sam, gazing down at the baby in her arms, replied, "Oh, and then some."

Grinning at a now embarrassed Daniel, Reynolds asked, "So… thought up any names yet?"

Sam remarked, "Come on Reynolds, they're only a few hours old!"

His grin changing into an expression of shock as he looked at Sam, he said, "You don't look like you've just given birth!"

Daniel remarked with a slight smile as he and Sam left the gateroom, "Teal'c meant what he said."

Reynolds called after them, "Congratulations!"

He looked up at Walter, who shrugged, and he called up, "Crazy assed jobs we have, don't we?"

Walter called back via the microphone, "Definitely, Sir, but worth it."

Grinning, Reynolds remarked as he left the gateroom, "Oh, you bet!"

--------------------

After a series of medical exams and briefings, the babies asleep in Daniel's quarters, Sam and Daniel sat on the bed in silence, the shocks of the day catching up with them. As thoughts of the older Daniel came to mind, she turned to him, tears in her eyes as she said,

"He was so different from you, and yet the same."

Taking her hands in his, he said, his face still glowing on being with her again, "Tell me what happened."

Her gaze fell to their hands as she replied, "I told you about me dying and…"

Releasing one of her hands, he gently tilted her face up so that their gazes would meet, and he said, "No, I meant between you and…"

Her eyes widening in horror, she freed her other hand and turned away from him, her arms folded across her chest, she said in a cold voice, "If you think that I would…"

"Sam…"

"He was you, granted, but he wasn't the _you_ that I'd left behind and…"

She sighed and turned back towards him, meeting his gaze. He was about to say something when she leant closer to him and whispered in his ear. When she had finished, she moved away again, and he said, touched as he took her hands again,

"It's ok – he was in pain and… I'm sorry Sam… I shouldn't have asked that… it's just…"

She shook her head, replying, "No Daniel. I'm the one who should be apologising."

She exhaled and continued, her eyes closed, her head bowed, "I left you and caused you so much pain and…"

Tears ran down her cheeks as she remembered how scarily different older Daniel's naked body had looked, and he instantly pulled her into his arms, whispering against her hair, "Sam, it was never your fault, and from what you said in the briefing, the original timeline _you_ was a hero. You have absolutely nothing to apologise for, ok? I won't let you wallow in self pity."

She sniffed against his shoulder, whispering in thanks, before releasing him. He let her go as she sat up, drying her eyes, and she said, looking scared, "Daniel… I don't know what the future's going to hold for us… I mean, you've got all these…"

She gestured with her hands, unsure of how to continue her sentence, and he took her hands once more, replying sincerely, "I'm still me Sam, even if my Myopia's gone… just like Jack's still Jack despite his knees being healed."

Surprised, she asked, "He was telling the truth?"

He nodded, smiling as he remarked, "Oh yes, that little bragging thing was the truth… although I doubt that he could lift all of SG-3."

She chuckled, and he gazed at her, remembering how much he had missed her, and he said suddenly, "They're potty-training."

Her eyebrows nearly shooting up into the outer stratosphere, she met his gaze and asked, "What?! SG-3?!"

Realising the source of her confusion, he shook his head, amused, and replied, "No, I'm sure _they're_ potty-trained by now. I meant the twins…"

She smiled at him wistfully, saying, "I've missed so much."

"We both have Sam, but I'm not letting that happen again. I'm taking an extended leave so at least one of us can be there for them and our new babies, and…"

She squeezed his hand and said, "If you're doing that, then so am I."

Shocked, he made to object, when she shook her head, continuing, "Nope, nothing you say is going stop me. I have no excuse any more – the Ori are gone, as are the Wraith. I'm going to hang out with my husband and bring up our little quartet together."

He hugged her, whispering, "Oh Sam."

When they parted, he said, "I'm going to resign as SGC leader… I think that Liz might want it to keep herself busy. She can't go to Atlantis for a while what with Charlotte."

She said softly, smiling down at their clasped hands, "She went out with James."

His eyebrows shot up and he said, feigning shock, "Ok… big age difference though. I mean…"

Grinning, she swatted him across the chest, laughing and said, "No! No, God, no… ewww. No… Charlotte and James. Daniel… uh, the other Daniel told me that… and about who Cammie was sweet on."

Intrigued, he asked, "Oh?"

Smiling at him cryptically, she replied, "I will tell you in… oh, nine months time, Jackson."

Something dawning on him, he stared at her, asking, "Vala really does get pregnant?"

She nodded, replying, "Yep. Oh, there's so much to tell you."

"Oh, I'll say, Colonel…"

She asked, remembering a certain light brown haired Hankan, "How's Cassie?"

He smiled proudly, replying, "She joined MSF, and she's in Mozambique now… she's been there since, ooh, about the start of October."

Happily surprised, she hugged him, whispering, "Oh wow."

"Yep… my thoughts exactly. She's amazing… just like her Mom."

"God, Janet would be so proud of her."

"You bet."

He fingered her long hair, and she remarked, bemused, "I don't remember it getting that long! I swear it was short before I got caught up in that thing…"

"Maybe it's the extra energy from the babies… it probably made your hair grow out like this in record time."

They met each other's gaze, smiling in relief and happiness, and she remarked, their eyes still locked, "Jackson, you owe me a kiss."

Feigning annoyance, he retorted, clenching his fists and throwing them down, "I already did!"

Confused, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "When?!"

Looking sheepish, he replied, "It took a kiss to wake you up."

"Ah well, there you go… it was so good I don't remember it."

She grinned as his cheeks reddened slightly, before they slowly leant towards each other. He remarked in a whisper as their lips grew closer,

"You're too good for me."

She retorted in a whisper against his lips, "Ha, not likely… you're way out of my league…"

Their lips met as their arms wrapped around each other's waists, the kiss growing in fervour as they familiarised themselves once again with each other, reconnecting. They parted, breathless to find themselves laying on the bed, and he touched the tip of her nose, grinning and remarking,

"God, I've missed this."

She pouted, feigning indignation as she retorted, "I should think so…"

She suddenly laughed, and he joined in. When their laughter died down, they gazed at each other, and she whispered, "I've missed this too. I've missed you."

"Me too."

Kissing him, she asked, her eyes twinkling with mischief, "So… how's bunking up with the General going?"

Pretending to be annoyed, he remarked, folding his arms across his chest, "Typical."

He turned back to her, grinning as he said, "Oh, it's fun… really. It's been nice hanging with Jack more this past year. We've had a chance to talk, and he's really opening up. Poor man."

She gazed at him, a question in her eyes and he continued, "I'll tell you when we get home… the sleeping arrangements are going to be so fun… we've got Liz in our room; me and Jack in the other; and Charlotte and the twins in the Nursery."

Laughing, she remarked, "I don't think the General's going to get so many ideas if we're in the same room as him."

Sighing, he said, "I suppose… you could bunk up with Liz, and then when Jack goes back to D.C. us two, or her could go in the spare room… We've got a free crib now what with Charlotte being in one, and the twins being in beds and…"

Surprised, she asked, "You got them beds?"

"Yeah… they're three – thought it was odd to have them still in cribs. Cammie wasn't happy but she's warming to the idea."

"Wow."

"Ya."

They smiled at each other when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Startled, they sat up, Daniel calling,

"It's open."

Elizabeth appeared in the doorway with a proudly smiling Sheppard, the former carrying a bouquet of flowers as the latter cradled Charlotte. Sam invited them in, Elizabeth handing her the flowers and remarking,

"You don't look like someone who's just given birth."

Sam, putting the flowers on the nightstand, replied, "I get that a lot. So… how are you?"

"Oh, as great as someone who gave birth two months ago can be."

Grinning, Sam said, looking from Liz to Sheppard, "Congratulations you guys."

Sheppard replied as he handed the baby to Sam, grinning too, "Thanks Colonel… you too."

Daniel slipped an arm around her waist as she held Charlotte, stroking her cheek with her finger as she whispered, "Hello there."

Charlotte yawned, her eyes closed, and Daniel remarked, making the others smile, "I think she takes after Jack… yawning when either of us talk."

Sam, grinning, elbowed him, and Sheppard said to Daniel, shaking his hand as Sam continued to coo over the baby, "Jackson, you've been great. Thank you."

Daniel, embarrassed, ducked his head briefly, replying, "It was nothing. I enjoyed having Liz to talk to as an alternative to Jack."

Elizabeth and Sheppard glanced at each other, the latter nodding, and as Sam handed the baby back, both her and Daniel confused, Elizabeth said, "Daniel, Sam… thank you for everything… I don't want to crowd you out so…"

Surprised, Sam and Daniel shook their heads, the former saying, "Oh no, of course you're not."

Elizabeth shook her head, saying, "You have been great, especially you Daniel but no, it's time I went. I've found a little place a few minutes away and I've already moved out. We just came to thank you for doing so much more than anyone ever would and…"

Sam and Daniel exchanged a glance, the latter saying, "Liz, you could have said something."

"I knew you'd say 'no'. You're that type of person… which is a good thing, I'll admit. Here."

She handed him a piece of paper from her pocket with her new address, and he remarked as he took it, "That's not going to stop me from bothering you in the morning with breakfast."

Smiling at him slightly, she replied quietly, "I know."

The four hugged each other, and Sam asked, "So… what are you guys going to do?"

Sheppard, glancing at Elizabeth, replied, "Well… not sure what's gonna happen, but I'm gonna get re-assed to the SGC so I can be here for Liz and the baby."

Daniel, slipping an arm around Sam once more, replied, "That's great… so… you guys are going to make a go of it?"

Elizabeth, smiling slightly as Sheppard gazed at her over their baby, replied, "Oh, definitely."

After Sam and Daniel showed off their sleeping twins, the two couples said their farewells, Elizabeth and Sheppard leaving with their daughter, and Sam remarked, "Well, that solves the sleeping arrangements."

Daniel kissed her, replying, "It's a shame though, but I'll check in on her in the morning. The post-natal depression's been hard on her."

Wrapping her arms around his waist, she leant her head on his shoulder and said, kissing his neck, "Hmm, come on, let's go home Jackson. We've got one heck of a family reunion coming up."

"Oh, I'll say… what the heck am we going to tell Mark? Once more he's been kept out of the loop when we've had babies."

"He can take a flying leap."

Confused, he gazed down at her, asking, "Sam?"

"Later Jackson."

--------------------

After placing both sets of sleeping twins in the Nursery, Jack and SG-1 leaving to give the Carter-Jacksons some privacy, Sam and Daniel got ready for bed, all the while talking about their adventures over the past months. She was dismayed to learn of his and the twins' kidnapping, and he was disappointed at missing out on so much.

They lay together, he holding her as they continued to talk until they got tired. As they were about to settle down, she whispered,

"Daniel?"

"Yep?"

"I want to feel you tonight."

Smiling, he replied, "Ok."

Under the blankets, they helped each other out of their clothes, and, naked, he held her, her head resting on his shoulder, she hooked a leg over his thighs, making him hiss inwardly at the intimate contact. She kissed his neck, remarking,

"Next time we do it, you're using a Prophylactic."

He blushed, replying as he kissed her, "That's ok with me… I don't want to be subject to another Ancient prophecy."

"You're telling me… I've given birth to three kids… I am definitely not doing that again. It hurts."

"Ha, that's an understatement."

"Yeah, well you never had to squeeze James out of your nether regions. Everything… stretches."

He chuckled as he buried his face in her hair, whispering, "I had to be awake during the C-section though… that was scary."

He paused and then remarked, smirking as he touched her in a way that made her hiss, "And besides, I think that we're going to have a _lot_ of fun… I've probably got a lot more stamina."

She laughed out loud as he reddened, and she whispered, "God, I've missed you. You make dirty remarks and then blush."

She whispered something in his ear and he reddened further, about to object, when she grinned, saying, "Hey, you used to do it for me… it's reciprocal."

"Then I can't wait."

"I bet you can't."

Glancing at the screen of her mobile, she remarking, looking guilty, "Ah, we've missed our anniversary."

Pensive for a moment, he replied, "Oh… it's the Ides of March now… Wow, in all the excitement, we forgot."

She kissed him, saying, "Happy belated anniversary, honey."

Grinning, he returned the gesture, replying, "Happy belated anniversary to you too, fy Gwenhwyfar."

They kissed, their fingers roaming each other's bodies, and she asked, breathless, "Hmm, how many other powers do you have?"

"Oh… a lot. Healing, telekinesis, psychokinesis, and pyrokinesis I've mentioned… something that's taken your Post Natal away… a certain amount of telepathy but that's a bit touch and go…"

Holding her, he opened the window with a wave of his left hand, and she gaped in shock and surprise when fireflies flew in and formed a heart shape in the darkness above them. He kissed her shoulder, whispering,

"Happy anniversary."

"Oh boy."


	59. Proposal

_To make up, in some small way for letting the other 'ships fade into the background while I concentrated more on SamDaniel, this chapter is a present to everyone who's been after some seldom seen (in this story, so far) solid CamVala shippiness. Admittedly, a lot of the back story between them has been in snatches, a kissy scene and from older-Daniel. Hope you like it._

_--------------------_

Over at Cam and Vala's, the couple lay in their bed too, both of them in the buff after yet another attempt at producing their progeny. Vala, still breathless, rested a hand on Cam's toned chest as she remarked,

"Well, I can't say that I'm not having fun trying, but why is it taking so long?!"

Cam, smiling as he gazed at her, replied, "It is fun. Maybe all those years of having those injections is just making it a little harder to make Mitchell Junior."

She added, looking at him intently, "That's _Mal Doran_-Mitchell."

"Sure Vala… I'll just ask Jackson which culture we can fake you coming from."

She remarked coyly, "That's what you get for mingling with alien types, Cameron."

He gently kissed her, retorting, "That's what you get for messing with a country boy."

Raising an eyebrow as she feigned incredulity, she remarked, "Just a kiss?! Why, Cameron, all those new sexual practices that nearly killed me an hour ago must have taken their toll on you… shame."

Glaring at her, half-seriously as he tended to do these days, he said, "Aw, don't tell me you're raring to go now?!"

He held up his right hand, continuing as he splayed his fingers, "We did it _five_ times. I'm not sure the little Colonel can take any more for another couple of hours… or maybe a day. The same goes for my little guys. Sheesh, you don't ask for much…"

His hand flopping down, she pouted for a moment before asking, looking curious, "Where did you learn that… um, pressure thing?"

Looking confused for a moment, realisation eventually dawned on him, and he replied, smiling as he stared at the ceiling, remembering something, "Oh, that's a funny story."

Still looking amused, he turned to meet her gaze and said, "Jackson."

Her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at him, wondering if he was joking but he held her gaze, and she remarked, "Wow… you're not joking. I must say that it surprises me. He doesn't seem to be the type of man to brag about his sexual practices, which I'm led to believe is a quality valued here by a lot of women."

He shrugged, saying, "He's easily embarrassed."

"How did you get that little nugget out of him then?"

His amused expression returned as he replied, "Oh, O'Neill and I got him really drunk one night before Christmas when we were having a little Poker shindig with Teal'c. The General seemed to think that that was what he needed… the, uh, drink that is. Anyway, us humans were pretty soused by the end and for some reason we descended into talking about sex. He gets really philosophical, and he just came out with that… um, pearl of wisdom. Teal'c, despite not being drunk, added his own little pearls. Jackson was as red as a robin's chest throughout the whole thing though."

The fingers of her left hand inching under the covers until she reached a place that made him yelp, and had the covers not been there, he surely would have leapt three feet in the air, she said, surprised, "Wow. I really didn't think he would ever say anything like that, however inebriated he became. Actually, I can't believe how sophisticated he is, sexually, for someone so polite."

He murmured as he shifted over to kiss her and add another love-making session to their repertoire of that night, "Didn't you ever wonder why Sam and Jackson come into work with grins on their faces? I have never seen either of them so damn happy before they got into that relationship of theirs."

As she returned the kiss, she replied, "Hmm, me neither but you've known them a lot longer than I have…"

She sighed happily and continued as she stroked him, "Our older selves looked happy."

As his lips jolted due to her caresses as they travelled down her body, he replied, "They sure did. I wonder how they worked out… While I can imagine Sam being a hero, I can't imagine her just not being there any more. Even while she was out in Atlantis, she was still… you know, there."

"Hmmm… and now they have two more babies."

He broke the contact between his lips and her skin as he remarked, visibly flushed as he gradually became more aroused, "I wonder what they'll name them."

As she wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him down for another kiss as she shifted her position to welcome him, she replied in a husky voice, "I'll bet it's going to be something with either a 'C' or a 'J', if their previous record is anything to go by."

Positioning himself over her, he said, breathing heavily as he prepared to enter her, "They'll probably name them after their parents… the girl after Jackson or Sam's Mom and the boy after Sam's Dad."

Their eyes sliding shut as they moved together, she whispered, "That Jacob's a character."

"Oh yes."

--------------------

Lying in each other's arms, exhausted and sated, she asked, gazing over at him as he closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath, "Daniel?"

He shook his head, his eyes still closed and replied, "Uh-uh. That was Teal'c."

Looking impressed, she said, "Wow."

"There's another reason why most Jaffa are so damn beefy."

"I'll say."

They kissed, and he remarked, "I hope that did it because I feel like I could die any moment now."

She asked, looking intrigued as well as curious, "So… has anyone died on Earth from having too much sex before?"

He opened his eyes and asked, looking incredulous, "Please don't tell me that this is some kind of crazy plot to get rid of me to get the insurance money? I think you have to marry me first anyhow."

She smiled as she rested her head on his chest, and she said, her eyes closed as her smile remained, "Yes."

Blinking in confusion, he asked, "Yes?"

She turned her head to meet his confused gaze as she said, still smiling, "Yes."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Remember that question you asked me before Christmas? Yes."

Realisation hit him hard and he stared at her, shocked for a moment, before holding her tighter, whispering as he eventually broke out in a happy smile, "Aw honey, I know this is gonna sound a cliché, but you've made me the happiest man on the planet."

"Now, now Cameron – we both know that Daniel is the happiest man tonight. He's a father again and he's got Samantha back… After that little glowing thing, they're probably shaking the foundations of their house."

"Aw, of course they will. It's lucky their house is detached otherwise their neighbours would be up all night, every night."

He paused as he gazed at her, overwhelmed with happiness, and he said, almost blurting it out, "Can I ask you again? I know it's hardly the best of circumstances what with us being totally and utterly in the nude…"

Grinning, she replied, "It doesn't matter. We could always misrepresent the truth about this moment anyway. All that matters is that we're both here."

Grinning back at her, he said, reaching into the drawer of the nightstand, "We've got to tell everyone, SG-1… my parents, and…"

He gazed at her and asked, "Do you fancy a trip over state lines to Shawnee County this weekend?"

She smiled as she remembered Mrs Mitchell, and replied, "I'd like that very much. Your mother is a lot of fun, and I'll finally get to meet your brother that I've heard so much about."

"That's what I'm talkin' about! Oh, and then we can go see Grimey again, and this time there won't be any Bounty hunters coming after us and…"

"Cameron, there weren't any the last time we went."

"Ah yes, but I was so on edge about it all after that first time…"

"You know your mother is surprisingly candid about us sharing a bed."

"Aw, she was brought up in the sixties… they were pretty much liberal back then, and Mom…"

He cleared his throat, embarrassed, and said, "She got into a lot of things."

"Oh, I'll say… she told me about the time…"

He silenced her with a kiss, not wanting odd images in his head regarding his own mother, replying as they parted, "You're gonna scar me for life if I hear about what Mom got up to."

She raised an eyebrow at him, smiling nonetheless, and he said, gesturing towards his lower half with the hand that wasn't holding the ring, "I don't think it'll be practical for me to go down on one knee, so…"

Surprising her, he lifted her up to sit in his lap, holding her around her waist as he asked, his cheek rested against her shoulder blade, "Vala Mal Doran, will you marry me?"

Remembering her past 'loves', whom she had since realised that she hadn't loved anywhere as near as she loved Cam, she replied, her eyes welling with tears much to her inner confusion, "Yes, I will."

Grinning, he carefully slipped the ring onto the ring finger of her left hand before turning her around and kissing her, before asking, concerned on seeing the tears in her eyes, "Vala?"

She, holding his shoulders as she straddled his lap, replied as her gaze fell, "I'm happy Cameron."

She met his gaze and continued, her eyes showing so much pain and turmoil, leaving him wanting to take the pain and all of the badness away, "You're the first person I've been in a relationship with that I've truly loved. Even with Tomin, I only cared about him… I know I had a hard time seeing that when he was leaving, but now that he's gone, I've been able to think about it."

Realising how much it had taken for to admit all that she had said, he softly kissed her, replying, "Aw honey, I'm honoured that you can love me… I mean, I've done things that I'm not proud of and you still love me…"

He smiled as he ran his fingers through her hair, continuing, "And I love you too, with all my heart. I've known love before but this is so much different… in a good way, and I'm glad of it."

She slipped her arms around his neck, gazing at him, tears still in her eyes as she whispered, "We make a right pair, don't we?"

Planting sweet kisses around her face, he replied, "We sure do… I wonder if Teal'c's gonna get with Jonas now…"

She grinned, remarking, "I don't think he's a homosexual, Cameron, although the thought is rather intriguing. Anyway, Jonas is quite happy with Carolyn… It's a relief that they got all that paperwork done for him to live with her."

"Sure is. I think they'll do the Mr and Mrs thing too."

"That would be fun… double wedding?"

"_That_ is gonna be tough. I've got to invite my parents and they haven't been given the relevant clearance about the programme."

"We could have two ceremonies like Samantha and Daniel."

"Or… how about us, SG-1, Jackson, the General and Carolyn go to Shawnee County?"

Surprised as she thought of it, she replied, "That would be good… Just everyone we care about."

Concerned, he asked, "You don't mind?"

"Of course not. If there's anything that I've learnt these past three or so years is that there is no-one closer than one's SG-team."

Grinning, he kissed her, easing them both down into a lying position as he remarked, holding her close, "Nothing could be closer to the truth."


	60. Post Natal Worries

_Although not actually carried out in this chapter, the mention of Daniel's, ahem, milk obsession ties in with a chapter in Nuptial Preludes (I think it's called a Lactating Colonel)… I'm told it's natural. Thoughts on a postcard… or maybe by PM if you get shy._

--------------------

Sam woke up, alone, much to her surprise and admittedly, dismay, as she had wanted to wake up next to Daniel, to see his face in the morning, to see how far they could get before having to get up. She sighed, her sleep-fogged mind wondering where he was, when she shifted, and felt paper under her right hand. Frowning slightly, she picked up the piece of folded paper, opening it and read,

"_Gwen,_

_Just gone to check on Liz and Charlotte. Will be back soon. Jack and Teal'c are downstairs, so don't worry about our little quartet. If they of all people can't handle them, then who can? Anyway, sorry for going… will make up for it later._

Gal."

She smiled at the sentiment, at his thoughtfulness, and on remembering that he was the one who had got up during the night when the babies had woken up, crying. She gathered the sheets around her naked form, curling up, her eyes shut for a moment as she gathered her thoughts at how fast things had gone – they hadn't even named their latest arrivals yet.

As she went about getting ready, she wondered if part of Daniel's promised 'making up' involved showering together, something she had missed during the time that she had been on Atlantis. She had been sorely tempted to see the older Daniel as her Daniel during the emotional rollercoaster that was both her time out there as well as her pregnancy, but a part of her held back, a part of her knew that it would have been wrong as the timeline had changed the moment the twenty year old Cammie had fought off the Wraith that were supposed to have heralded the end of her life, and the beginning of Daniel's eighteen years of living hell.

She wiped away the tears that fell as she considered this fact, how the changes made by the alternate timeline Carter-Jacksons had changed the events of the timeline so much.

Composing herself, she went downstairs to find Teal'c making the twins giggle as he lifted them up as they held onto his huge arms, Jack cradling a baby as he bottle-fed it. Both men looked up on sensing Sam's presence, Jack saying,

"Hey Carter, you look rested…"

Teal'c said, smiling slightly, "For someone who has given birth to two babies only a day previously, O'Neill's comment understates the fact."

As Jack was about to argue, the toddler twins simultaneously let go of Teal'c's arms as they stared at Sam standing in the doorway. James, breaking into a grin first as he remembered his mother, ran up to her, excited as he shouted,

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

Teal'c and Jack smirked as they watched him, and Sam, tears in her eyes, picked him up, kissing him on the nose as she said, smiling, "Hello James."

Cammie suddenly smiled and ran to her mother too. Holding the little girl's hand as she held a now dancing James over her shoulder, Sam made her way to the couch and sat down next to Jack, Cammie clambering into her lap with little assistance. Both twins, grinning, excitedly talked to her, half-intelligibly, and Cammie whispered against her neck, wetting it in the process,

"Mommy back!"

Jack remarked as Cammie turned to look at him, "She sure is… that Daddy of yours was telling the truth."

Sam held the twins tighter, kissing them both on their foreheads, and she said, her voice breaking with tears, "I've missed you two so much!"

She managed to hold back the tears, and Jack asked, making sure that she wasn't going to suddenly burst into tears, "You know where Daniel's gone?"

"Yes Sir. He left me a note."

"Yeah, that self-sacrificing man. He made breakfast before leaving with breakfast for Doctor Weir and the baby."

Teal'c remarked, "It appears that it is a season for babies. What remains is for ColonelMitchell and ValaMalDoran to announce a pregnancy, and then for JonasQuinn and DoctorLam to announce a similar item of news."

As a smirking Jack got up to place the baby he held back in the cot next to its sibling, muttering something about an SG-team of babies, Sam set the twins down on the floor, asking them, "Did you see your new brother and sister?"

James looked confused, and Cammie said, "Charlotte gone."

"She's your cousin. She's Auntie Liz's baby. Come here."

Holding their hands, she led them to the cot which had the day old babies in it, and Jack said, "Wasn't sure how to introduce them what with them not having names yet."

Sam nodded, and said as the twins held onto the edge of the cot, peering in to see the babies, "These are your new brother and sister. The baby with the blue cap is your brother, and the one with the pink cap is your sister. They're so new – they don't even have names yet."

James asked as he gazed down at the babies, "No names?"

Sam shook her head, smiling down at the boy, and Jack asked, "Carter?"

Sam, knowing what he was going to ask, replied, "When Daniel comes back, we'll fill in the forms. We haven't talked about it yet what with everything… well, I've talked about it with the other Daniel."

"Ah."

Teal'c said, "It is difficult to believe that that DanielJackson was only sixty-two years of age."

Jack, shooting him a little glare as Sam looked gradually more upset, replied, "T, it's the stress. I'm sure he won't be like that now."

Sam sighed and said, "We're taking some leave to look after the kids, Sir."

The two men, surprised, looked at her, Jack asking, "This isn't gonna be permanent, is it? I didn't want SG-1 to be down a certain Archaeologist, but to be down you too, that would be too much."

Teal'c said, looking grim, "Indeed. This has been so since DanielJackson was promoted, and Samantha was in Atlantis."

"See? It's not fair on Teal'c – he's getting lonely."

Sam, smiling briefly, said, "I don't know but I know that… maybe I shouldn't be telling you this yet… but Daniel's going to give up being the base commander. The work was killing him anyway, but he wants to be here for the babies."

Jack's face growing serious, he replied, "Ah, no, he did mention that once before, and earlier this morning too. I'm only letting him do it if he gets his old rock job back. Jonas could still have a job in that department but even I know Daniel's much better doing it."

Smiling in amusement, Sam replied, "I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that."

"Damn straight, not having him quit on us… the same going for you. The leave I can deal with, but in the long term, it's easier knowing that you two and T-man are around to make sure that things go right."

"I miss you being on the team Sir. We used to have fun."

Smiling as he remembered SG-1's glory days, he remarked, "We had great times, didn't we? Alien doohickies, sarcophagi, Replicators, cliché over-the-top bad guys with terrible fashion sense, skinny little aliens with no butts… man, I sure do miss Thor."

"We all do, Sir. Kvasir and Hermiod couldn't hold a candle to him."

"That's for sure."

Teal'c added, "Indeed. Our travels and journeys have been stimulating and most interesting, and we are most suitably employed."

Jack remarked, gesturing to Teal'c, "And that's from someone who was one well-travelled First Prime… Come on, let's get some food down you."

Reaching down to stroke the cheeks of both babies, Sam walked into the kitchen, trailed by the twins who took to leaping up and down, still excited at her being there. When Teal'c had corralled them in the lounge, Jack sat opposite Sam as she sipped her orange juice, noting much to his dismay how quiet and how subdued she was, and he asked,

"Carter?"

Meeting his gaze, she replied, realising that he must have seen something in her face, "Sir?"

He paused, looking at her for a moment, and then he said, "Carter, I don't want you to quit… either of you. Both of you have doctorates and active minds, and you'd be wasted just being here looking after babies. You'll be at each other's throats within a couple of months."

When she made to object, he raised a hand to silence her, continuing, "Yes, I know you two are sometimes the only two people in the galaxy who can understand one another, but I can just see you taking apart the TV for something to do. Ok, you'll probably soup it up so that you get free cable, but that's not the point. You're really clever and need to keep those minds of yours active. Astrophysics is your life, just like all those crazy assed degrees are Daniel's life.

"When your maternity leave is done, there's still gonna be a job for you, on and off-base. SG-1 needs to finish what they've started, and not have some new kids on the block doing the tidying up. Personally, I'd feel much better to know that not only are you are out there tidying up, that you're on base too to stop _Feljer_ screwing things up."

Her eyes moistening with tears, she tried not to yield to them, to show weakness in front of the one man who she had always wanted to prove herself to, and she whispered, her gaze dropping to the table, "Thanks Sir… It's just that…"

She met his gaze and continued as he placed a comforting hand over hers, "I don't want the kids to suffer. I've had, what, nearly thirteen years now of action and…"

"Don't say it Carter – I wasn't exaggerating when I said all those things. I really can see you taking the TV apart."

Smiling despite her eyes exuding overwhelming emotion, she replied, glancing down at the tabletop, "I know Sir. We'll talk when our leave's done. It's fairly likely that making a decision at this stage will be coloured by my post natal stuff. I know Carson said that I didn't have all those hormones in my blood, but I feel like I did after Cammie, only much worse."

He patted her hand and said, "Carter, you and Daniel need to talk. I know you're still pretty messed up after not only those future people showing up, but with the Daedalus too… Don't shut him out – he'll want to help you, and I've seen that look in your eyes in the eyes of so many men that have seen some pretty damn bad crap in service of this country."

A part of her surprised by his offer of advice, she nodded, whispering, "Thanks Sir."

"Hey, anytime. You've had one hell of a year, and if _I_ was in your place, I'd be a bawling wreck."

She sighed, and said, resting her chin on her hand, "I think Daniel's going to get bored of me if he stays with me for the entire duration of our collective leave."

"Hey now, that isn't true. Do you know what he was like the year you were gone? A bear with a sore head. It took… SG-1, me, the other Jack, and two toddlers jumping up and down on him to get the man out of bed on Christmas Day. And then we had record rainfall around that time… after that, it was record snowfall…"

Frowning in disbelief, she looked up at him, remarking with a bemused smile, "Sir, I don't think he can affect the weather."

Looking at her seriously, he said, "He hasn't told you has he? In that utility belt of powers, he can change the weather. First night he came home after his powers started working, we had torrential rainfall, and thunder and lightening. It wasn't until Christmas that he learnt to control it with a little help from Doctor Weir."

Surprised at the revelation, she replied, "He never said anything about that."

"Figures. I'm not exaggerating when I say that he was miserable. He tried to be strong for the kids but it hurt him inside."

"Thank you Sir… I'll get it out him later. He didn't tell me about the pills until I confronted him after Teal'c told me about them."

He made a face, remarking, "Damn pills. The Trust OD'd him on 'em… one is really powerful, but they drugged him up with seven. I, uh, counted them to… well, you know how he is…"

She raised an eyebrow at him, and he continued, "Don't look at me like that Carter. You know very well what that man can do."

She sighed before asking, wanting a change of subject, "How's Sara, Sir?"

Raising an eyebrow as he saw right through her reasons for changing the subject, he replied, "She's fine… up in the Windy city. Gonna see her on my way back to D.C."

She nodded, and was about to reply when she heard Cammie shout, "Daddy!"

She looked around through the doorway of the kitchen, through to the lounge to see Daniel pick up each twin in turn, grinning at them. Holding Cammie, he gazed down at the babies, his expression softening as he stroked their cheeks before he placed his daughter down and smiled on seeing Sam in the kitchen.

Striding through the doorway, having left his jacket in the hallway, he hugged her from behind, whispering in her ear as he looked at her in concern, "Hey Sam, how are you doing?"

She offered him a strained smile as he kissed her cheek, replying quietly, "Fine thanks… How was Liz and the baby?"

Saying 'hi' to Jack, he pulled up a chair next to her, sitting down as he replied, holding her hand in his, smoothing the skin of which with his thumbs as he met her gaze periodically, smiling, "Sheppard had stayed over, and they had most of the expedition over there, but they were happy at me bringing breakfast. Made sure Charlotte had everything too. I can't believe there's so many babies around."

Glancing at Jack, who nodded slightly, signalling discreetly, Daniel realised that something was up, more than he had previously thought, and he turned back to Sam, asking, "Have you eaten?"

She replied, lifting her glass, "Didn't feel like it."

Frowning slightly as he realised further that something was up, _way_ more than he had previously thought, he took her hand and said, standing up, "Come on, let's go out back."

Jack remarked, smirking nonetheless, "Leave me the dateless wonder, why don't you?"

Daniel retorted, feigning innocence, "You've got Teal'c."

"Ah now, that's something. At least he wouldn't abandon me."

"Jaaack."

"Go on now, clear off before I get the big man himself to throw you out."

This elicited a smile from Sam, and Daniel, smiling that she was smiling, shook his head slightly as they left for the back deck, Jack calling, "Traitors."

Out back, Daniel held her in his lap, her head rested against his shoulder as she held onto him, and he asked, gazing down at her, "Sam, what's wrong?"

She shook her head slightly, and he, realising that she wasn't ready to talk just yet, kissed her forehead and waited. He didn't have to wait long. She whispered, idly drawing abstract patterns on his chest with her finger,

"I feel lost Daniel… I don't even know how I feel. It's worse than after Cammie, but then I had you going through the same thing, and I suppose that helped somewhat. Carson said that I didn't have the remainder of the excessive hormones rushing through me any more, but…"

She choked on a quiet sob, and he held her tighter, resting his chin on top of her head as he said, his eyes brightening with tears, "Sam, you're not alone. I won't let you do this by yourself."

She whispered, tears now rushing down her cheeks as she closed her eyes, bowing her head, "I'm scared too Daniel. What if I don't have in me to be a good mother? I was feeling strained with the first twins, now we've got another two little lives in our lives, and… I don't know how I'm going to cope. And you're not going to love me any more, and…"

Shocked at what she had said, he held her tighter still, saying as he looked increasingly horrified at the thought of what was running through Sam's head, "No, no, no, oh God, no. I'll never stop loving you – you know that, and it isn't because of the babies. I love you Sam and you're definitely not doing this by yourself – I'll be with you every step of the way."

Sniffing, she asked, whispering, "What if I lose you again? What if…"

"Sam, if we kept up with all the what ifs and maybes, we really would be wasting our lives. Everything's going to work out – you'll see. We've got rid of the Goa'uld, the Replicators, the Ori…"

He continued with a smile as he gazed down at her, kissing her hair, "Not bad for a couple of weak humans… to think Bra'tac made fun of us when we first met him."

Smiling through her tears, her gaze still dropped, she whispered, "We showed him."

"We did, oh we did."

He gazed down at her and said, running his fingers through her hair, "We'll be ok Sam."

"I hope so. I'm just having a hard time coming down after everything that's happened as well."

"Do you want to go to bed? The rest of us will take turns feeding the babies and…"

She shook her head, replying quietly, "No, I breastfed Cammie and James… I know I haven't started well with these two, but I'm going to make a go of it."

He remarked with a grin, "In that case, I'm jealous of all four of our children."

She started laughing as he reddened, and he kissed her tears away, whispering in her ear, "If you feel up to it, you can have a mood lifter later tonight."

Meeting his gaze and getting more and more amused at his reddening complexion, she replied, smiling, "Ok, but I've got to warn you, I just had two babies… we waited four months the last time."

"Ah yes, but that last time, you weren't walking around an hour or so right after giving birth, and your Gynaecological exam was fine."

She held him close, resting her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her once more, she sighed, but neither of them said anything, both of them enjoying the soothing sounds of each other's heartbeats. He ran his fingers through her hair, hoping that he wouldn't be made into a liar, that things really would be ok.

After a long moment, he asked softly, gazing down at her, "Are we going to get down on that paperwork yet?"

She sighed, replying, her voice muffled by his chest, "I don't know…"

She swallowed, took a deep breath and straightened up, composing herself as he gazed at her, concerned. She met his gaze and said,

"I had this conversation with the older you… we could name them after our parents."

Feeling sad and guilty at missing out on everything during her pregnancy, he hugged her, whispering, "I'm sorry for not being there… I didn't know."

"Don't apologise – you were there. It's rather weird when you think about it – Liz had you during her pregnancy, and I had you during mine, one you per galaxy. Weird."

Smiling, he replied, "It is, isn't it?"

Breaking into a grin, she remarked as she slipped her arms around his neck, "Only you could break the laws of Physics."

She kissed him on the lips as he caressed her cheek with his left hand, and as he held her closer, he whispered, "We'll probably end up having a fight over whether the boy's going to be Jacob or Christopher."

Kissing his neck, she replied with a slight smile, "Both."

He looked down at her, surprised, and asked, "Both?"

"Yep, seeing as James is James Cameron; our other little boy could be Jacob Christopher… and our other little girl could be Claire, but I'm not sure about a middle name."

Grinning, he kissed her on the forehead and said, "Jacqueline."

She raised an eyebrow in surprise and asked, "Won't the General get upset about that?"

"He's a modest man."

Overjoyed, she kissed him, saying, "Jacob Christopher and Claire Jacqueline Carter-Jackson it is then."

"Oh, he'll be so proud."

"Who?"

They both looked up in surprise at the voice to see Jack looking at them from the open back door, looking pleased that Sam was happier. Sam and Daniel exchanged a little look, and Daniel said with a smile, looking up at Jack,

"We just decided on the names… Jacob Christopher and Claire Jacqueline Carter-Jackson."

Jack's eyebrows nearly shot through the roof, and he exclaimed, shocked, "What?!"

Sam replied, grinning as was Daniel, "Yes Sir."

Jack's expression softened as he blinked, the news settling in, and he remarked, looking uncomfortable, "Can't you name her after Janet or something? I'm not dying or going glowy any time soon."

"Oh come on Sir – Cam isn't either."

He stared at them for a moment before suddenly smiling, and he said, "Ok then, I'm honoured… it's just, you know, a little odd to me… especially when you could have got round naming Cammie Janet by calling the little one Jane."

Sam and Daniel exchanged a glance, the latter saying, "Jack may be onto something."

Jack quickly remarked, throwing his hands down, "Or not… wait, when I'm off to D.C., you're going to need a Jack to balance things out, to keep your noses out of trouble. Right, go ahead."

Sam asked, glancing at Daniel, "Are you sure Sir? We'll only do it if you're comfortable with it."

"Ah go on, how many times does an old General with nice knees have a genius named after him?"

Daniel remarked, a touch embarrassed, "Jack…"

"Hey come on, Cammie and James are extremely bright, just like those two whitelighter thingies you've got."

Sam quickly looked at Daniel, suddenly scared, and asked, "You don't think they have powers, do you?"

Daniel replied with a shrug, "I didn't think about it… they'll be fine though – I'm supposed to be the Guardian."

Jack clapped his hands and said, looking at his two friends, "Anyway, now that you're both happy, I've got a little surprise for you… come on in."

Curious, they both stood up, Daniel wrapping an arm around her waist as they walked indoors, wondering what surprise Jack could have for them, short of getting one of the base scientists to rig the ground floor lighting circuit.

--------------------

"We're getting married!"

Sam and Daniel, his arm still around her waist, stared at the couple in their lounge, two ultra happy people, the female of whom showed off an engagement ring. Glancing at an amused Teal'c and Jack, the twins looking at the stone with curious eyes, Daniel, surprised, said,

"Congratulations Jonas and Carolyn… wow, this was unexpected."

Sam added, equally surprised as the babies began to cry, "I'll say."

After a beat, Sam hugged both of them, grinning as she said, "Oh so proud of you! Wow."

Daniel shook Jonas' hand as Sam picked up a crying Jacob, the Archaeologist then picking up Claire, getting ready to retreat to the ground floor bathroom to feed them, Cam and Vala entered the lounge from the hallway, grinning from ear to ear and holding hands. Everyone paused, as did they on seeing an excited Jonas and Carolyn, and Sam asked, trying to soothe Jacob long enough until she could reach the bathroom,

"What's going on?"

Cam, glancing at the other happy couple, said, amused as he realised what had happened, "Funny thing…"

Vala, exasperated at the time he was taking, blurted as she showed off her ring finger, "We're getting married!!!"

The four members of classic SG-1 exchanged glances as the twins ran to Cam, and Daniel remarked, glancing at Sam, "We'll be right back to congratulate you – the babies are going to drown out any talking if we don't go now."

As they left, Jack called, "And no tasting, Daniel! We'll know."

Sam, embarrassed, glanced at Daniel, who reddened profusely and called back, "Jaaack!"

When they were out of earshot, Sam whispered with a knowing smile, "You'll get your chance later."

The remark resulted in one very red Archaeologist, a part of whom, deep inside, was brimming with glee and anticipation.


	61. Reconnections

_Some SamDaniel rudeness now… well, it has been… oh dear God, eight months. I know, in real life, that it would be rather impractical seeing as she only gave birth a day or so ago, but Daniel did a glowy thing on her… and for once, they're being obviously responsible (ok, they were responsible before what with her injections, and of course, their regular medical exams, but y'know…). _

_--------------------_

After a large albeit rather sudden house party with the Atlantis expedition members joining in with the _'Welcome home, we're alive, and upcoming weddings'_ celebrations, and after the sizeable SG-1 worthy cleanup operation that followed as well as submitting the aforementioned paperwork, Sam and Daniel were once again left alone with their children, Jack claiming to have a sixth sense with regard to his friends needing some alone time, and secretly wishing that he could see Landry's reaction on hearing Carolyn and Jonas' news.

Sam whispered as Daniel nuzzled her throat, "I'm glad you're here with me."

He paused, gazing at her, noticing how scared and uncertain she looked, and he whispered, "We're going to be fine, Sam. Two sixths of SG-1 – remember that."

Smiling, her gaze wandered to his chest, and she remarked, "Next time, we're adopting… I want a Catherine… eventually."

He tenderly kissed her, replying as he remembered his late mentor who had introduced him to the Stargate in the first place, "Sweet."

She laughed out loud at the Jackism, and exclaimed, "Sweet?!"

Burying his face in her hair, he remarked, "I spent nearly a year with Jack… what else do you expect me to say?"

"Hmm, I think the twins picked up a few things from him… McKay's face when James insisted on showing him how he uses his potty…"

Nibbling her ear, he whispered, "Priceless. And when Jack kept making those remarks about breastfeeding."

She giggled, remembering Lorne in particular redden faster than a traffic light, and she sighed, replying as her fingers slowly wandered beneath his boxers, "The General's a character."

She moaned as his lips moved to her throat, and he whispered, kissing her ear, "We don't have to do it tonight Sam."

She whispered, kissing his neck as she helped him out of his t-shirt, "It's ok… I want this. Carry on."

They resumed kissing, touching and nibbling, helping each other further out of the rest of their clothes, when they leapt apart in surprise when a crash of thunder startled them, flashes of lightening illuminating the entire room. Getting their breath back, they chuckled, and she asked,

"Daniel?"

He shook his head and replied, "Not me… I think it's forecast."

"Ah… about your little meteorological abilities…"

"Tomorrow, I promise."

"Ok."

He resumed making love to her, gradually becoming aroused, when the bedside phone rang. They were about to ignore it, both of them wanting to carry on, and she whispered, groaning,

"Do you think you could zap the phone? We could always get a new one."

Smiling slightly, he remarked, breathless, "If it's the SGC, we could get SG-3 and our friends storming the place… I'll get it."

As a peal of thunder echoed across the heavens, he grabbed the handset, saying into it quickly, "Hello?"

"Dannyboy, you're with Carter, you're happy – what's with the Rain King thing now?!"

Not trusting himself to speak, he handed it to her as she raised an eyebrow at him, and he smiled sheepishly, mouthing 'Jack'. As she put the phone to her ear, he resumed kissing her, smiling mischievously as she fought to control her voice. As he did so, he could hear Jack say,

"_What_ the heck… Jesus, I'm sorry Carter… uh, I'll go now…"

"Ok, Sir… the weather's not Daniel."

"Right, ok, got that."

She couldn't help but laugh right as she disconnected, the phone slipping out of her grasp as the laughter turned into groans, and she remarked as his mouth travelled her body,

"Thanks Daniel, now he's going to be looking at us awkwardly tomorrow."

"Serves him right."

Grinning, she remarked as her fingers travelled his chest, "It does, doesn't it?"

As his mouth returned to its job, he whispered, "Definitely. We'll have to act innocent."

"Ha, that's likely."

Eventually, he, holding himself up above her heavily breathing self with one arm, reached into the nightstand, and she, realising why, said, reaching out a hand, "Here, let me do it."

He kissed her softly, handing her a foil packet, and replied in a shaky voice, "Just as well – I ripped it once."

"Once! In how many languages?!"

He leant down to kiss her again as her fingers got to work, replying, "Several."

"I thought so. All those _onces_ add up, you know."

"I know, hence the little thing about _several_."

She remarked with an appreciative smile as she gazed down through the small space between his rippling torso, and hers, "You look exactly the same."

As he leant down, kissing her ear, he whispered, "I hope that's a good thing."

Right as he entered her, she whispered back, her back arching against the bed, "Oh yes."

--------------------

Lying in a tangle of sweaty limbs, he kissed her neck, and she murmured, feeling as though she had come home again, "Missed this."

"Oh God, me too… we'll be back to normal again."

She grinned, exhausted, remarking, "I don't think you ever went for that long before."

Smiling against her neck, he retorted, "Ancient powers."

"Hmm, for noncorporeal beings, they sure know a thing or two."

He snorted with laughter at the irony of her remark, and she, realising why he had laughed, added, "I meant about… you know… this."

"I know… I was just being cheeky. We could have a go at that Ancient joining thing one of these days… not anytime soon though."

"Tired, Jackson!?"

He remarked with a cheeky smile, "As you said, I never went for that long before. What about you?"

"Ha, I feel as though I could sleep for a week."

"Shame we can't though…"

"True, but we have four babies needing our attention… and you've got no need to be jealous of them."

Grinning, he remarked, reddening, "Are you kidding? Twice."

Intrigued, she asked, "You find it fun?!"

"Well, duh."

They laughed at the uncharacteristic language, and he held her, both of them sighing happily, and he murmured, "'night Guinevere."

"Hmm, you too Galahad."


	62. No Tasting

As Cammie and James ran around in the grass, playing intermittently with a ball, Sam and Daniel sat together on a park bench, his arm around her as they watched their children, the Archaeologist's other hand gently rolling a large Pram next to them, in which lay the latest additions to the Carter-Jackson household.

She leant her head on his shoulder, sighing quietly as the fingers of the arm that was around her, played with her hair. He kissed her forehead, and she whispered, her gaze moving to the Pram,

"Mark's pissed."

"It doesn't matter. He'd never believe the truth anyway. I suppose it's a good thing that he _didn't_ buy the story about the phones and floods."

She remarked with a smile, "Ah yes, like everything would be out for nine months."

He chuckled softly, and as their gaze moved out towards their older children running around, she said, "I've missed this too. God, those two are going to be so beautiful when they grow up."

As he hugged her with his free arm, he smiled against her hair, replying, "Oh yes. Cameron looked like Mom, and James was like a male version of you. It was scary once I realised who they were."

"And SG-1, the General… and you."

"Eighteen years… wow. It's interesting how our lives could have been."

Noticing her gaze drop, he held her a little tighter, adding, "Not your fault. You were a hero then… and well…"

He smiled as he gently kissed her, continuing, "You'll always be my hero."

She couldn't help but laugh and she stretched up to kiss him, remarking, "From other guys, that would be condescending and cheesy, but from you… it's cute."

He grinned at her, and she, remembering something, frowned slightly as she looked away. His smile fading, he asked, worried that she was blaming herself for everything that had happened again,

"Sam?"

She shook her head and met his gaze, smiling bemusedly as she said, an eyebrow raised, "When you were looking for the older me, you said that she'd be hot."

Holding her close, he whispered, still finding the wherewithal to go red, "That's because you are."

With a mischievous smile, she remarked, "How far do you think we can get in public?"

Feigning indignation, he huffed, retorting as his gaze moved to the twins, "Well, y'see Colonel, we're in public… with our kids, and many families walking through with _their_ kids…"

He grinned, meeting her amused gaze as he continued, "We've got to keep it tasteful."

She stretched up to whisper in his ear, with the intention of making him redden, "Shame, I was thinking of all the things I could do to you on this bench."

Her intention working out, he remarked after a beat, "You know, for someone who gave birth nigh on a week ago, you're pretty darn… horny."

"It's good for calorie burning… I'm still plump."

He smiled, red and was about to say something cheeky when they both heard the sounds of crying. Snapping into Colonel mode, Sam sprinted over to the twins on seeing James sat down on the grass as Cammie knelt next to him, looking worried. Sam knelt down and picked up the howling boy in her lap, holding him close, and she asked a worried looking Cammie,

"Cammie, what happened?"

Cammie replied, looking worriedly at her brother, "James fell down'd on his botty."

Daniel, who had approached the scene with the Pram, nearly fell backwards when Cammie barrelled towards him, her arms outstretched. She held him around his legs until he picked her up, rubbing her nose with his as she grinned at him, and he knelt down next to Sam, reaching out a hand to smooth James' hair, as the boy's crying subsided.

Sam checked James over, asking as she mopped his face with a tissue, "A right set of pipes you've got on you, young man."

She held him up as he giggled, and she kissed him on the nose, when she noticed him suddenly stop smiling. Glancing worriedly at Daniel, she asked,

"James?"

He began to hold himself, saying as he looked pained, "Mommy, need to go potty."

Cammie then took the opportunity to announce her desire to relieve herself. The scientists exchanged an amused glance, before Sam remarked, removing the potties from the rack underneath the Pram,

"Just as well we brought these… kid in each bathroom?"

Daniel retorted with a cheeky smile as he took James' potty, "I'll take James and the Pram – I might get some numbers on the way."

As they quickly made their way to the toilets, Sam remarked with a raised eyebrow, amused, "With a wedding band on your finger?! What kind of girls are you expecting?!"

--------------------

Regrouping afterwards, and walking back in the direction of their bench, Sam said with a grin as she held Cammie's hand, Daniel pushing the Pram with one hand as he held James' hand, "She was announcing the colour of the women's shoes as they came in. It was all _red, purple, peridot…_"

Daniel, intrigued, asked, glancing at her in surprise, "Peridot?"

"Yah… wait, you didn't teach her that?"

"Uh, no… I thought you did."

They frowned slightly as they walked, trying to work out where Cammie could have picked up the word 'peridot' from, when he paused, realisation on his face. She stopped too as the twins once more took to running, this time around them, shrieking with laughter as they tried to catch each other, and he said, meeting her gaze, smiling in surprise,

"Oh! I did teach her. It was… I was reading with them, and I mentioned peridot, an olive-green gem which was mined in Antiquity on the Egyptian island of St. John in the Red Sea… The word was mentioned in a book, and I just explained what it meant without thinking."

"Wow."

"Yup."

They resumed walking, calling the twins from their continued chase and holding their hands once more, and she asked, "Mensa?"

He shrugged, replying with a slight frown, "I don't know. I don't think it's a good idea though."

"Yeah, we want them to enjoy their childhood."

He glanced at her, grateful that she had understood especially after his lack of a childhood after 1973, and he replied, "We could nurture them. They don't need to be a part of an elitist organisation, especially at their age."

She smiled briefly, saying, "McKay."

Raising his eyebrows, he asked, "He was a Mensan?"

She shook her head, replying as they continued walking through the park, "Not that. I meant the hubris."

"Ah… come on, he's softened up."

Smiling slightly as she remembered the change in the Canadian Physicist's behaviour towards her, she replied, "True. He's a nice man – he's just insecure about his own abilities so he feels the need to lash out like that."

"Yeah, and…"

He was interrupted by a familiar voice calling from the path behind them to their right, "Colonel!"

They stopped and turned around to see Sheppard and Elizabeth pushing their own bundle of joy in another Pram, and Cammie and James leapt up and down excitedly, James saying,

"Auntie Liz!"

When Sheppard and Elizabeth joined them, coming off the path in the process, Sam said with a grin, "Hey, you two, how are you doing?"

Elizabeth, smiling warmly at her, replied, "Fine, just fine…"

Sheppard, glancing fondly at Elizabeth, said to Daniel, "We just had to thank you for everything…"

Daniel, embarrassed, waved dismissively, replying, "It was nothing."

Elizabeth, raising an eyebrow briefly, said, "Far from it, Daniel."

Sam grinned as Daniel's gaze fell to the Pram, still embarrassed, and Sam asked, glancing at the Weir-Sheppard Pram, "How's Charlotte?"

Sheppard, slipping an arm around Elizabeth's waist as the former Atlantis expedition leader replied, gazing down at their baby, "She's a little crying bundle of joy, but she's ours."

Daniel, glancing at Sam, said, "Hey, if you guys want to take a break, we'll, uh… we'll be more than happy to baby-sit."

Sheppard and Elizabeth exchanged a glance, the former saying, "Oh, we couldn't do that, Jackson."

Sam, as Daniel wrapped an arm around her, wrapped an arm around his waist, discreetly resting her hand on his backside as he did his best to look nonchalant, and she said, grinning, "Come on, you deserve a break… especially after everything you've been through."

Sheppard remarked, "Oh yes Colonel, looks who's talking…"

"Ah yes, but we're on SG-1 – it's all in a day's work."

Elizabeth smiled in amusement as Sheppard retorted, fully aware of the public nature of their surroundings, "Oh, I'm sure raising babies and everything else that's happened just recently happens all the time. Why, I just heard Teal'c married Mitchell."

Daniel, amused, remarked, "That would be fun – Vala would kill him."

Sam said with a grin as she picked up Cammie who had tumbled over but wasn't crying, "Not as bad as Teal'c getting with Jonas – Carolyn's a medic… with needles."

Sheppard remarked, "Pretty scary needles too."

Daniel, glancing at Sam, replied as they grew sombre, remembering Janet, "Not the scariest we've known."

--------------------

Unlocking their front door, each carrying a sleepy twin as Daniel pushed the other twins' Pram with one hand, Sam quietly said with a sigh, "We're going to need a bigger place."

He replied as they entered the house, the Archaeologist shutting the door behind them, "Yeah, I've thought about it too…"

He trailed off as they stood in the doorway to the lounge from the hallway, to see Vala sat on the armchair nearest to the kitchen door, Cam perched on the arm. Daniel, glancing down at Cammie in his arms, whispered as he looked over at Sam, sensing something odd in the air,

"We'll be back in a minute."

Cam replied, "Sure, go ahead."

Sam and Daniel went upstairs, carefully undressing, and redressing the twins in their pyjamas before laying them down in their beds. Standing between their beds, his arm around her waist, he gently kissed her forehead as she wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder in a quiet moment of solitude.

As they walked downstairs, she asked, "What do you think it is?"

He shrugged, replying, "Maybe nothing, but I sensed something… I'm not sure what it is though."

She looked thoughtful as they entered the lounge, Daniel going into the kitchen to make coffee as well as to fold up the Pram, the babies having been placed in their cots in the lounge, and Sam sat down on the couch, clutching a cushion to her stomach as she asked her friends,

"So… what's up with you guys? You could have called – we had our cells."

Cam replied, grinning down at Vala, "We wanted it to be a surprise so…"

Vala added, the cultural reference sounding odd to her, "We had to come at you… out of left field."

Sam stared at them for a moment before slowly coming to a realisation, and she suddenly smiled. Cam remarked to Vala,

"Told you she'd get it."

Daniel, returning with the coffee, asked as he set the mugs down on the coffee table, each person reaching for one, "Get what?"

He sat down next to Sam, and she rested a hand on his thigh as Vala reached for Cam's hand, the two of them slowly smiling, and Sam remarked, "Come on you two, the suspense is killing me."

Cam met her gaze and said, now looking happily overcome as the truth came out, "Vala's carrying Mitchell Junior."

Vala, beaming, added, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow, "_Mal Doran_-Mitchell."

Sam and Daniel exchanged a surprised glance, the Astrophysicist jumping up as she set her mug down, pulling them both into a hug as she said, grinning, "Oh, congratulations! We've got to have a party and… oh, a baby shower and…"

Daniel, grinning at the news as well as Sam's excitement, got up and congratulated their friends, patting Cam on the back, saying, "You've got a guaranteed babysitter."

Sam remarked, amused, "Another reason for the bigger place. We'll have Charlotte, Mal Doran-Mitchell Junior…"

Vala smiled in triumph as Sam continued, "Maybe if Jonas and Carolyn have a bunch of kids, we'll have them. Wow, and when Teal'c and Ish'ta get down…"

Daniel remarked fondly, gently caressing her lower back, "We'll rope Jack in if we end up with seven kids. Well, at least both of the twins are going to always have playmates."

As Cam looked amused, Vala said with a shrug, "We could be rotating babysitters for each other…"

Cam added, gazing down at her, "That's what I'm talking about! This just goes to show how deep SG-1's bonds run."

Sam replied with a grin as she met Daniel's gaze, "That's for sure. Friends during, between and after the action."

Cam, exchanging a glance with Vala, who smiled slightly, stood up and pulled Sam into a hug, saying as both she and Daniel looked surprised, "Thank you, Sam."

Sam and Daniel exchanged a puzzled look, Daniel replying as he picked up a gurgling Jacob, Vala gazing down at Claire, "Uh, we're all good friends…"

Sam stared at Cam for a moment before realising what he had meant. She smiled, glancing down at her feet, and Daniel asked,

"Sam?"

Sam, blushing slightly, met his gaze and nodded slightly, whispering, "I'll tell you later."

Cam, amused, said to Daniel, "Hell, I'll tell you now. We've been trying for ages, and it happens the night Sam comes home."

Sam, embarrassed, distracted herself with picking up a crying Claire, as Daniel blushed, remarking, "You could have let Sam tell me later."

Vala remarked with a grin, glancing at a smirking Cam, "Well, you're so cute when you're embarrassed."

Sam, glancing up at her husband, added, "Oh, that's for sure…"

She raised an eyebrow at him briefly, and he narrowed his eyes for a moment, saying to the others as they headed towards the downstairs bathroom, "We'll be back in a moment."

Cam remarked, looking a tad uncomfortable, "General O'Neill called earlier to remind you about something."

Daniel asked, pausing in the doorway, "Jack called? When?"

"Oh, a few minutes before you came… he's getting ready to go back to D.C…"

Sam asked from behind Daniel, "What did he say?"

As Vala looked increasingly amused, Cam said, deadpan, resulting in a very embarrassed Sam and Daniel, "No tasting."


	63. Family, Presents, and Farewells

_Spin-offs of this story, expanding on Daniel's Christmas angst, as well as the older Daniel, Cammie and James, can be found in Jackson Junior: Lonely this Christmas, and Jackson Junior: Fight the Past, respectively. As always, reviews are oh-so welcome! The more the merrier._

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Daniel cleaned the upper floor of the house with Cammie 'helping' him, the babies gurgling downstairs in the lounge. Meanwhile, Sam, with James stalking her, a phone jammed between her shoulder and ear, went around the lower floor of the house with a laundry basket, picking up various odds and ends that had somehow found their way under and behind various items of furniture. In between 'clothing search and rescue', she cleaned dusty surfaces with the contents of various cans and a cloth lodged in the basket she carried, whilst talking into the phone.

"Really? That is so sweet. I heard the Caribbean is nice in the summer… Ha, that'll never happen – we're full-time parents… and even if we weren't, there's our work… which we still have anyway, so… no."

She gently moved James' hand from grabbing the can of furniture polish as she stretched under an armchair for a strangely situated sock, and she laughed, remarking, "Poor you. Wait 'til the first baby arrives. Hoo boy. Yeah, I feel for Cam and Vala – they're going to have their hands full with Mal Doran-Mitchell Junior, especially if he… or she takes after Vala."

The sound of the doorbell cut through everything, including the vacuuming noise from upstairs and Sam said, pausing for a moment to wipe the sweat from her brow, "Ah, I've got to go – someone's come and it's not anyone with a key. Ok Jonas, see you later. Bye!"

Puffing out her cheeks as she exhaled, she slid the laundry basket into the kitchen and lifted James to her hip, asking him as she made her way to the front door, "Who do you think it is?"

James looked thoughtful, and then shrugged and said, "Don't know."

She smiled at him before opening the door to see Hammond in civilian clothes on the doorstep as the vacuuming noise abruptly stopped, Daniel calling,

"Honey, who is it?"

Grinning, Sam hugged Hammond before ushering him in as James beamed at him, and she called upstairs, "It's Uncle George!"

Inviting the older man to sit, Sam walked into the kitchen to make coffee, James still to her hip as he played with her hair, and Hammond asked as he stooped to check out the babies in their cot, "Sam, how is everything?"

Popping her head into the lounge as Daniel arrived, Cammie closely following him before holding his leg on seeing Hammond, she replied, "Oh, just great. Brilliant, in fact. How's everything – how are your granddaughters?"

Greeting Daniel warmly, he said, "Great. Tessa and Kayla are growing up fast – Tessa's gone to college, and Kayla's looking forward to Senior High."

Daniel remarked, gently trying to ease Cammie's tightening hold on his leg as she peeked at Hammond, "It seems like only yesterday when they were in grade school."

Hammond smiled, and Daniel stooped to look down at Cammie, saying quietly, "Sweetie, it's your Grandpa George."

The Archaeologist straightened up as Cammie buried her face in his leg, shaking her head, and he said, apologetically, "Sorry."

Hammond replied as he smiled at the peeking little girl as Sam emerged from the kitchen with coffee, James following her, "Oh, don't be – Sam was like that when I visited Jacob and Grace when she was a toddler."

Sam, a touch embarrassed, gave the retired General his coffee, and he asked, still standing over the cot, "What are their names?"

Smiling briefly at Daniel, she replied, gazing down at the babies, "Jacob Christopher and Claire Jacqueline."

As he smiled fondly, he asked, "Daniel's mother?"

"Yep, and General O'Neill."

"Your father would be proud."

Sam and Daniel exchanged a knowing look, the Colonel asking, "Did you hear anything about what happened out there?"

Hammond replied, "I haven't got round to reading the reports yet, but Jack's speaking highly of you at the mountain. There was something about the Ancients, and the babies being linked to Daniel's powers."

He smiled a little more at that last part, and Daniel said, glancing at Sam, "We saw Jacob, Selmak, and Oma, and a whole host of others… We'll let you read the reports though."

Intrigued and surprised, Hammond asked, placing his mug down to prevent droppage, "Jacob?"

Sam nodded, smiling a little emotionally as she replied, "Yes, Dad was there as I gave birth to the twins."

Daniel closed the gap between them, wrapping an arm around her in a comforting gesture, and he added, "Apparently he and Selmak had been ascended."

Amused that he had left out an important part of that story, she grinned and said, punching him lightly, "_Apparently?!_ You were the one who did it!"

As Daniel looked sheepish, Hammond asked, surprised, "You did?"

Sam replied, gazing at her husband affectionately, "Yep, when he was semi-ascended. He doesn't remember though."

"Why, that man is one heck of a miracle worker. I wasn't sure how to say this, but he healed my heart – my Doctor thinks it's a miracle, and quite rightly so, but she doesn't know how, of course."

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After Hammond had left and they had done the rest of their chores, Sam, smiling, sat on the couch with Cammie in her lap, brushing the little girl's hair before putting it into bunches. Daniel, with James in his lap, sat next to her, quietly reading to the twins as the other twins slept, the Carter-Jacksons enjoying a little family moment as the adults' gazes periodically met, both of them smiling, completely relaxed.

The moment was interrupted by the sound of a key in the front door lock, and Daniel closed his book, everyone looking over the back of the couch to the doorway that led to the hallway to see Jack, in dress blues. The General placed a couple of packages out in the hallway before entering, his cap under his arm as he remarked, an eyebrow raised,

"This looks nice."

The twins began getting restless in excitement, and Sam had to physically restrain Cammie to finish off the second bunch as James leapt up and ran to hug Jack around his legs, shortly followed by Cammie, both of them making a lot of noise. Daniel, smiling slightly, shushed them, whispering,

"Your brother and sister are asleep."

The twins then quietened down, and Jack crouched down to greet them, ruffling James' hair, and being scolded by Cammie for even daring to attempt to ruffle hers. Sam smiled at this, and Daniel said,

"Hey Jack."

"Daniel… Carter. You look relaxed."

Sam remarked, amused, "You've come after the storm, Sir."

Daniel retorted, grinning, "It wasn't that bad, honey."

"Oh come on, you weren't dusting and polishing, and pulling out various items of _your_ clothing from under the furniture… all this whilst stopping one of our geniuses from trying to clean things for himself!"

"Oh yeah, well, at least you didn't have the other genius wanting to sit on the vacuum cleaner!"

"Well…"

Jack waved his hands, saying, being mindful to be quiet for the babies' sake, "Hey! Cut that out!"

Sam and Daniel, looking suitably chastened, smiled slightly, the latter asking as he got up, "Do you want some coffee?"

Amused, Jack replied, "Nope, got a car waiting outside – I'm off to D.C."

Sam, exchanging a disappointed glance with Daniel, asked, "Already, Sir?"

"Yeah, it sucks, I know, but Hank's getting restless so he can retire and spend more time with Kim… Oh, has _Uncle_ George been round?"

Daniel replied as Sam glanced down at her hands, smiling, "Oh yeah, he saw the babies and heard a little about Atlantis."

"Well, that man is one happy camper – he doesn't have a heart condition any more."

He looked meaningfully at an embarrassed Daniel, as Sam did the same, grinning, and she replied, "He's a Whitelighter alright."

Jack, grinning, replied as he approached the couch to ruffle Daniel's hair, resulting in one scowling Archaeologist, "Yeah, tell me about it – he healed my knees!"

He added, growing a touch more serious, "Anywho… got the kids something…"

He retrieved his packages from the hallway as Sam and Daniel exchanged a surprised glance, the latter saying as they got up, "Jack, you shouldn't have."

Jack, holding two packages, replied with a dismissive gesture, "Think nothing of it – I _am_ Uncle Jack after all."

He knelt in front of the now curious twins, handing them the packages, and Daniel murmured, "Say 'thank you'."

Both of them said, grinning at a proud Jack, "'hank you."

Jack remarked, "Go on, open 'em!"

As they went about carefully stripping the paper from their presents, Jack reached into the hallway for the other packages that he brought, and he said as he stood up, "Wasn't sure what to bring for you guys, so I got something for the babies."

Sam said, making to object, "Sir…"

"Hey! Come on, don't make me make it an order."

"Thanks Sir."

"Thanks Jack."

"Anytime."

As he gazed down at the babies in their cot, gently stroking their cheeks, Sam and Daniel grinned on seeing the twins each holding a bucket of coloured blocks, and Jack remarked on turning to look as they began to open the babies' packages,

"Yeah, I remembered something Mitchell said about him and SG-1 trying to build the SGC. I overlooked the treason part, naturally, but it's a cool idea. And, yes, I remembered about you two not wanting them to exclusively adhere to gender stereotypes with dolls and cars."

The twins hugged him around his legs as Sam and Daniel looked moved at the thoughtfulness. They grinned again as they finished opening the packages to see a full set each of Indiana Jones and Star Trek themed baby clothes, with rattles to match. Daniel remarked, barely able to hide the amusement on his face or in his voice,

"Indiana Jones and Star Trek?"

Jack, beaming, replied, "For the space-faring Archaeologist and Astrophysicist who have everything."

Sam, overcome with emotion, pulled Jack into a hug, whispering as he hugged her back, "Oh God, we're going to miss you."

When they parted, Jack smiled slightly and then he and Daniel stared at each other for a moment. They hugged each other tightly, Jack ruffling the younger man's hair as he said, tears in his eyes, "I'm gonna miss you, Space Monkey. It's been fun."

Daniel, his eyes closed, his voice wavering with emotion, replied in a whisper, "Same here, Jack."

Sam wiped away a few tears as she watched the embrace, knowing that they had had a chance to repair and strengthen their friendship over the past year, and when the two men parted, Daniel slipped an arm around her waist as they said their farewells to Jack.

After the General had gone, Daniel looking as though he had lost a large part of himself, Sam pulled the Archaeologist into a hug, whispering as she smoothed the back of his head and neck, "We'll see him again, Daniel."

He kissed the nape of her neck and whispered back as he rested his head on her shoulder, his fingers running down her back, "I know but I miss him."


	64. Joining

_Ah, ha! New chapter! I was just about to post this one when my hacker struck. Enjoy._

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One night, a freshly packed overnight bag at the foot of the bed with an open one on the bed, Sam and Daniel went about packing the latter bag, occasionally fetching items from the Nursery. Zipping it up, he placed it with the other bag, and she remarked, smiling slightly, a touch distracted as he pulled his t-shirt off,

"Four kids, two bags, a Colonel and a Whitelighter Archaeologist."

Raising his eyebrows at her briefly, his t-shirt half off, he retorted, deadpan, "Not as odd as that along with a southern Colonel, three aliens, a medic, three Generals, and most of Shawnee County along with the Mitchells."

His t-shirt off, she wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder as his arms encircled her waist, and she whispered with a drained smile, "Oh yeah… small wedding, huh?"

Gently kissing her forehead as he held her tighter, he whispered back, "By country standards I'm sure. Wow, it's funny."

Looking up at him curiously, she asked, "What is?"

He glanced down at her again, replying, "Well, the fact that Mitchell's born in Memphis, and raised in Charlotte and Shawnee County – the man's from three states."

She raised an eyebrow at him as she straightened up, remarking, "Honey, who do you think you married? He's lucky, on one level, that he had a relatively steady childhood."

He was about to reply, when she exhaled and continued, sitting down on the bed, her gaze downcast as he sat down next to her, concerned, "Nearly every state of the US… I was never able to make friends or settle anywhere… not until after…"

She released a shuddering breath as he put an arm around her, drawing her closer to him as she leant her head on his shoulder, crying quietly. He pulled her into his lap, holding her tighter against him, reassuring her of his presence, and he said quietly, his eyes closed as he rested his cheek against her hair,

"I know what it's like Sam, or at least I've got a fair idea."

As she sniffed in his hold, her arms around his neck, he gently tilted her chin up in order to get her to meet his gaze, and he asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, whispering, "Sorry."

"Don't be… you told me after Baal that _I_ should be able to cry in front of you… so you've got nothing to be sorry about. We're supposed to be able to do this."

He tenderly dried her tears, and she paused, gazing down at her hands as though she was deep in thought. Concerned, he asked, "Sam?"

She sighed and appeared to be about to say something, when she took him by surprise by pushing him straight back across the bed, taking his breath away with a kiss. After a moment, he got over his surprise somewhat and reciprocated, his fingers caressing the skin beneath her t-shirt. She whispered, remarking with a smile as the kiss ended, gazing down at him, both of them getting their breath back,

"That's another thing we're supposed to be able to do."

He stroked her cheek with his finger, whispering as he raised his head slightly to kiss her briefly, "Sam, we've got to drive to Shawnee County tomorrow… Jack's already making cryptic jokes about us going at it at every chance we get."

Kissing his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close, she replied with a sigh, smiling, "I miss the General."

Nuzzling her, he whispered, "Me too… a lot. I miss having him around to talk… I suppose, in a way, we were like a gay couple without the sex."

She snickered, the sound growing into muffled laughter mixed with groans as she rested her head on his shoulder, and she remarked, when she was eventually able to speak, her eyes glittering with mischief as she gazed down at him once again, "So you kissed him?"

Frowning slightly, he retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Yes… I kissed one of my best friends."

"Well… you did."

He corrected her, before wincing when she shot him a look, "Two…"

Her brow furrowing when she realised that he had been serious, she asked, "Two?"

He rolled his eyes and said, "Yes… two. Technically, I wasn't the one who initiated it… I could have sworn I told you about when Vala hijacked the Prometheus…"

She shook her head, replying as she sat up, suddenly not feeling in the mood, "You never said much more than what was in the report."

She released a shuddering breath as he stared up at her, confused and too stunned to speak, and she said, her eyes closed as she forced herself to control her growing anger, "I can't believe you kissed Vala! Of all the cotton-picking…"

She turned, shooting him a glare that would have even sent Teal'c running away screaming, and she continued, her eyes glistening with tears, her voice breaking as she spoke quickly, "You never said anything… I thought there was something but then you said that there wasn't, and then she started seeing Cam…"

He quickly got up in an attempt to calm her, and was about to open his mouth to speak, knowing that he could very well get hit if he touched her before explaining himself, when she angrily stormed out, running downstairs and out of the front door as it unexpectedly began to rain, not caring about that or her lack of suitable apparel or footwear.

Without a second thought, he sprinted after her, calling her name. Catching up with her half way down their street, both of them soaked, he, gasping for breath, touched her shoulder and said, "Sam… you've got the wrong idea. You really have…"

She threw his hand off, replying bitterly, her eyes showing an inordinate amount of pain, "You lied to me, Daniel. You told me that there was nothing between you and Vala, that you didn't harbour feelings for her… Why did you even ask me to marry you? Because you knocked me up… or…?"

She turned away, too upset to speak, and he was dismayed to see her shoulders heaving as she silently sobbed. He took a deep breath, his chest feeling heavy with sadness, and he replied, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her around to face him,

"Sam, I asked you to be my wife because I love you…"

She released a bitter laugh in a scornful gesture before turning away, about to walk away, when he forced her to face him again, saying, frustrated and angry at the situation, the emotions represented in the now heavier rainfall as well as a growing lightening storm, "Let me finish… you went sprinting down the street after having your say, so let me have mine."

Her angry expression softened into one of heartbreak, both of them soaked to the bone, and he said, looking increasingly vulnerable, "I love you, I love you more than anyone I have ever loved in my entire life, and yes, even though it does make me guilty to think it after everything we've been through, even more than Sha're."

Touched at his words but feeling angry at what had driven her to run, her gaze lowered and she said, almost in a whisper, "You kissed Vala… you could have at least told me that…"

He gently tilted her chin up, replying softly, "Sam, _she_ kissed me… and I called her a fruitcake. She had just tied me up… to be honest, I'm lucky that she didn't go any further."

She stared at him, the words sinking in, and he, despite knowing that he could well be hospitalised, stepped forward and held her close. Stiff at first, she melted into his embrace in a silent acceptance of his story, and he held her tighter, whispering against her soaking hair,

"Oh God, there's only one woman for me, Sam… and she's one hell of a crazy lady, but I love her."

Shivering due to their collective states of dishabille as the rainfall waned, she whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be… If anything, I should be apologising…"

"Apologies later… we need to get home – we've left our kids home alone."

He chuckled softly and remarked as they made their way back home, his arm around her, "I can just imagine Cammie or James using our credit cards to order things online."

"Oh yes, we'll go home to find that the lounge is full of Dora the Explorer merchandise, and 'poor kitty' t-shirts'."

With a proud smile, he remarked as they reached the house, opening the front door, "We have bright kids."

"That is one hell of an understatement, Jackson."

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After checking in on their children, he led her to the shower, where they proceeded to remove the rest of each other's clothing, Gazing at him as the water spiralled down his body, she said,

"We're going to have to get used to showering alone again… what's going to happen when our leave's finished?"

As he soaped up her chest, despite knowing that they were only in there to warm up again, he remarked, "Hmm, well, I think we'll either be very stinky, or breaking a few rules by using the locker-room together."

Raising an eyebrow at him after glancing down at his handiwork, she retorted, "Somehow I think you'll find some excuse to come home."

He remarked, doing an impression of Jack which made them both laugh, "_Ya think_?!"

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and whispered in his ear, "If you get to do this, then…"

She kissed him, and he gently manoeuvred them so that she was against the shower wall before kissing her back, his body flush against hers. He whispered in her ear, smiling slightly and yet reddening,

"Only if you let me do my little thing."

Reaching down between them, making him yelp, she remarked with a grin, "That can be arranged."

Raising his eyebrows at her, feigning seriousness, he asked, "Surely not here?"

"Oh… well, if you think there's enough room…"

"I think there's enough room to do this…"

He reached down between them, and her head rolled back against the wall as she whimpered softly with pleasure, her eyes sliding shut. Her hips reflexively ground against his hand, arousing him further, and she groaned, remarking,

"I think we've christened the shower several times already, Daniel…"

His lips moving to her neck, he retorted with a small smile, "Nearly every room in the house."

Fighting to control her breathing as his caressed intensified, she asked, "Do you remember the time that Cam nearly caught us?"

He smiled against her neck, replying with a happy sigh, "That was funny… I'm not sure what possessed us to contemplate doing it in the kitchen…"

"Are you kidding?! You just had to get frisky when I was doing the dishes."

Blushing, he retorted, "Is it my fault that you're so hot?!"

She raised an eyebrow at him, feigning half of her disbelief, the rest being natural, before she shut her eyes, whispering as her body bucked, "Bed."

He remarked cheekily, "Why, Colonel, I thought you wanted to do it here…"

"You know, I'm technically your CO…"

Closing his eyes as he smiled slightly, he retorted, "Well, technically, I'm _your _CO. And anyway, as my _former _CO, and team-mate of over a decade, you should know that I don't follow orders."

Breathing heavily, she shot back, "Don't make me knee you."

He raised an eyebrow at her, whispering as he leant forward to nibble her earlobe resulting in one boneless Colonel, "Hmmm, how about we forget the wedding tomorrow?!"

As he turned the water off, she gasped, whispering as he helped her out, "Daniel?"

"Yup?"

"Did I ever tell you how much I hate you?"

Pursing his lips, he replied with a shrug, feigning innocence, "A few times…"

As he silently insisted on towel-drying her, she replied, feeling frustratingly aroused, "For a pacifist, you know how to torture."

He grinned at her, remarking as he took longer than necessary in drying her chest, momentarily distracted, "I do, don't I?"

Feigning disbelief, she shot back as she got her revenge, wearing his already thin self control into something microscopic, "Jackson, that was your cue to get all humble and embarrassed."

Having finished drying her and himself eventually, he brought the towel back to her chest once more, replying as his attention was focussed on his task, "Ah, well, you see…"

He paused, frowning slightly, and, as she was about to ask what was wrong, he met her gaze, asking, "Can I try the Ancient joining thing? I don't know whether I'll be able to do it, but…"

Reaching up to caress his brow, she added with a slight smile, "… we'll have fun trying."

He caressed the side of her face, saying, "I don't know how much energy it's going to take…"

He ducked his head briefly and continued, "The Ancient knowledge in my head is rather lacking in that department."

She chuckled softly, and he said, his blue gaze piercing hers, the cerulean colour appearing to glow in an ethereal manner, "You do understand that if I manage to do this, there won't be any secrets between us… Would you be comfortable with that?"

She sighed, caressing the side of his neck as she replied with a shrug, "I'm fine with it… just so long as you are. We don't have many secrets anyway… unless you haven't told me something else about your eclectic past."

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Still naked, they kneeled on their bed, facing each other as he reached out a hand to hold the side of her face, his thumb gently rubbing under her left eye, and he said quietly, gazing at her, a hint of sorrow and dread in his eyes,

"I am so sorry if it goes wrong and…"

She placed a finger to his lips, meeting his gaze, reaffirming her trust in him in that single gesture. He nodded slightly in acknowledgement, kissing her finger before she removed it, and said, closing his eyes as he began to concentrate,

"Samantha, just focus on me…"

Taking a cleansing breath to prevent herself from jumping him, she gazed at him, focussing on his face as he murmured in Ancient, his hand still cradling her face. Her right hand reached up to cradle the left side of his face as her concentration steadily grew until it felt as though it has crashed into something at full speed, exploding violently as they both felt as though they had been cast into an unknown place.

His eyes suddenly opened, and she gasped as she felt herself being drawn into the cerulean pools much more than on previous occasions. He too gasped as he felt himself drawn into her eyes, and then the outskirts of her mind.

Some indefinable instinct led them to hold hands, their gaze remaining unbroken, and he leant forward to gently kiss her. Suddenly, an explosion of white light expanded from them, the shockwave isolated within a metre of them, strangely enough not reflecting off any walls, although this detail they missed due to what happened next.

She kissed him, long and deep as the white glowing remained, memories and feelings rushing forth between them, and suddenly, she heard him whisper during the embrace, "_Oh Samantha, you really don't know what you do to me_."

At the same time, he heard her say, "_I could do this all day_."

They parted, breathless and surprised, and she asked, barely shrouding her fear, "Daniel?"

Stunned, he nodded, replying, "Oh yes."

He stared at her, both of them scared, and she heard him say despite his lips not moving as the white light softly faded around them, "_I wonder if we're empaths too_."

She smiled slightly as he caressed the back of her hand, whispering without moving her lips as he silently reassured her, "_Oh, the sex_."

"_We'll be dead within the week_."

"_Try a day_…"

Gazing at him, she asked aloud, feeling an overwhelming fear as they stood on the brink of something beyond anything that they had ever experienced, "Daniel? This isn't going to change things… is it?"

He caressed her jaw, replying tenderly, "For the worse? I don't know… Maybe I should stop now otherwise…"

She shook her head, wanting to continue this new experience, and she replied, hesitating before translating it into telepathy, "_We could test it out_."

Nodding slightly, he asked as he squeezed her hands, "_Are you sure?_"

"_Yes._"

He kissed her, and heard her say, "_We can talk during a kiss._"

"_Oh, that's for sure… full conversation while sucking each other's tongues._"

"_Hmm, that's a __nice__ image…_"

He gasped, still holding her hands as an image flashed through his head of a rather graphic scene, involving being on the receiving end of his own vaguely linguistic related talents.

"_Sam?_"

She smiled, looking stunned nonetheless, replying, "_We can send rude picture messages… wow, I wonder what's going to happen when we go to work… Maybe we can read or feel other people._"

She snickered, relaxing into this new experience as an image appeared in her mind of her being thrown down onto a desk by herself, who promptly divested her of her clothing… She raised an eyebrow at him as he reddened, and he shrugged, replying,

"_You had to find out sooner or later._"

Hand on hip, she asked, curious, "_How long?_"

He wouldn't answer with words, but she received another image in her mind of walking next to Reynolds in a familiar looking place, although she couldn't quite place its name. She glanced down at herself during the vision and noticed startlingly blue robes, and as she gasped in realisation, she saw herself with Jack, Teal'c and Jonas in combat gear with the other natives of the planet.

The image was shortly followed by an image of herself talking in a tent, and she heard his voice ask her if there had been anything between them. She then heard him say, his voice cutting through her vision,

"_I wanted so much for there to have been something… you were the only reason why I came home again…_"

"_I wouldn't have left you there._"

"_I know that now, Samantha… but then, I didn't know who I was._"

"_So you imagined being with me back then?_"

"_Not the fantasy scene… that, ahem, came afterwards…_"

She smiled slightly as she felt him blush in her mind, and concentrating on the inner murmurings of his mind, she reached out to him, daring herself to test the limits of this new ability. She eventually felt as though his mind was holding hers, reaching out and embracing it as he whispered,

"_Fy Gwenhwyfar…_"

She mentally dived straight in, yet feeling something tighten around her immaterial waist, and she whispered, "_Daniel?_"

She heard him all around her as she roamed a great desert, surrounded by rapidly flying orbs of white light, stunned at the clarity of her surroundings, "_You're not physically capable of going by yourself. I won't let you go._"

She looked down to see a golden belt coiled around her waist, the buckle of which was the image of his face, the lips moving as he spoke, gazing up at her. Suddenly, the belt uncoiled, forming the image of her husband. He remarked, standing in front of her in what appeared to be his ascended wardrobe, although this detail she wasn't familiar with,

"_Couldn't have you going alone… As much as I used to think that Vala was a fruitcake, I'm not far off myself._"

"_Oh, we make a right pair, don't we? Emotional issues and nightmares aplenty… Wait, what about our quartet?_"

He caressed her cheek, replying, "_In reality, time is passing much slower than events in here. Your mind doesn't remember things in real time._"

She gazed around herself and remarked, meeting his gaze once more, "_Not a bad place you have here._"

Smiling slightly, he retorted as he relaxed, further Ancient knowledge seeping into his consciousness and assuring him, "_Thanks, I just painted._"

They smiled, and he reached for her hand, whispering, "_Come with me, Samantha._"

--------------------

Gasping in shock as he ended the connection, both of them shocked further on discovering that only a minute had passed since they began, despite feeling as though hours had gone by. Both of them catching their breath, she asked, looking increasingly stunned,

"Daniel? You were there for me?"

He nodded, replying as he gently kissed her, "_Yes I was. I knew that I would never ignore you, and I did visit you but Oma wiped everything because she wanted me to consciously fall in love with you when the time was right._"

As they parted, tears streaming down her cheeks, she said, her voice wavering as she tentatively reaching out to caress his neck, "Thank you… you ascended Dad, you gave me children, and now this…"

He felt her anguish in waves as she looked down at her lap, continuing, "I… I felt so left out, and I feel so selfish for feeling like that, but the General and Teal'c saw you. You even ignored me on Abydos, but now I know why. You had to mess with my memories."

She met his gaze, adding, "Oma was threatening to descend you for indirectly killing Nirrti."

He reached out to dry her tears, and he whispered, subconsciously sending her everything that he felt for her, "That wasn't the only reason. I became more conscious of my feelings for you during that year, and she knew that. She knew that it could cause problems, seeing as the Ancients had their non-interference rule then."

She remarked, smiling shakily at the rush of feelings threatening to overwhelm her, "You would have booty-called?"

He blushed, replying with a crooked grin as he touched the tip of her nose, "Uh, maybe not… you, uh, you didn't feel for me that way… Back then I was just a little brother and…"

She cut him off with a kiss, remarking, "Definitely _not_ a little brother… that would be pretty damn FUBAR."

She added with a sigh as he continued to look stunned from the kiss, "You never said anything, but you weren't sure back then."

She met his gaze and continued, "I wasn't much better either, but when you got your memories back, you did a pretty good job of hiding everything."

He hugged her, whispering as they both savoured the now amplified warmth, "So glad that we're not hiding any more."

"Oh, look at what we would have missed out on."

They stared at each other, hearing a tumult of thoughts, and feeling a clamour of emotions, and she asked, trying to shut it out to prevent a migraine, "Daniel?"

He closed his eyes as he cradled the side of her face once again, concentrating deeply. He said, opening his eyes, "_Sam?_"

Surprised, she stared at him in trepidation, and he continued, mentally hugging her, "_Just had to close some of the connection but I can't close all of it. You're not going to go nuts like Buffy almost did, but it means never having privacy again._"

She reached for his hands, gazing down at them for a moment before replying, "_I could deal with that. We've talked about periods before now, so…_"

She slowly smiled as she felt him get embarrassed as well as almost instantaneously witnessing the physiological by-product of said emotional state. She asked aloud,

"We're stuck like this?"

He shrugged, replying, "I don't know, Sam… and I'm sorry."

Running her fingers through his hair, she remarked with a smile as she felt his sorrow, "Don't be. Through good times and bad, remember?"

Still smiling at him, she concentrated a little and watched with barely concealed mirth as he blushed. He remarked as his fingers felt as though they were involuntarily drawn towards her breasts,

"How about we experiment a little?"

She leant forward and whispered huskily, her tongue teasing his earlobe, resulting in one happy looking Archaeologist, "It's a good thing that this is a detached house."

He kissed her, lowering them both to lie down as their embrace grew, their collective passion reeling off the both of them and threatening to overload their senses. She whispered as his mouth moved down her body,

"_Daniel, lie down._"

"_Are you sure?_"

"_You're asking a… telepath? Oh God, we're telepaths…_"

"_Oh yes…_"

"_Lie down._"

--------------------

She lay next to him, her leg hooked over his thighs in an attempt to be as physically close as possible to him. Both of them too tired to speak, he caressed her shoulder, his tongue beginning to arouse her once again as he lapped at her chest, and she whispered, glad of their new abilities as well as scared, awed and overcome,

"_Oh, I would definitely consider one more but Cam and Vala aren't going to take it too kindly if we either arrive dead on our feet, or worse, not at all._"

As he nuzzled her, he remarked, "_Well, they and everyone else would give us a wide berth so we can do this all day…_"

"_Hmmm, oh that would be nice. We've done it seven times… and I didn't know that guys could get multiple orgasms._"

"_I can't believe we did it seven times without a break… I think that joining thing did something to me._"

She grinned as she retorted, "_Being with you was already like heaven on Earth, but now… I could see us doing this every night._"

"_Oh, but we'd have to keep on locking the door and train the kids to knock if they need anything._"

"_Hoo boy._"

"_Yep._"

She snuggled into his embrace, feeling an incredible wave of post-coital satisfaction, and she remarked, exhaling, "_Quite the talented Archaeologist you are…_"

She snickered as an image appeared in her head, and she added, a hand caressing between his thighs, "_Oh God, I'll never see your office in the same light again!_"

"_Well, you won't if Reynolds has gone round changing bulbs again._"

As his mouth roamed her collarbone, she remarked, groaning aloud, "_It would be fun christening it though._"

"_Hmm, fun for the security team too._"

They chuckled and cringed at the thought, and she whispered, sounding scared, "_Daniel?_"

"_Hmm?_"

"_Do you think we're going to be the kind of people who find places to have sex in, and embarrassing our overly bright kids in the process?_"

As his tongue passed over her core, her body arching with an almost violent intensity, he replied, fighting to focus as her growing orgasm threatened to overwhelm him as well, "_God, that's going to be so fun… We'll have to wait until the quartet are old enough to either go to Kindergarten or have a babysitter during the evening. I sure hope they don't cotton on… that would be…_"

"_Eww..._"

"_Ya._"

As she groaned louder, screaming his name as he brought her to a climax, she said in her mind, her thoughts slower and almost blanking out during the transcendent moment that followed, "_They could do with socialising with kids their own age._"

As he recovered from feeling the effects of her orgasm, he replied, lying next to her as she snuggled up to him once more, "_Thus ensuring that they won't be like McKay…_"

"_That's for sure._"

"_Daniel?_"

Sensing what she wanted, he reached into the nightstand, remarking, "_I hate going to buy these things… the woman at the drug store looks at me oddly._"

As she assisted him, she replied, laughing inside and out, "_Ha, that's because she's imagining you doing the wild thing to her… trust me._"

Embarrassed, he said, "_Sam?!_"

"_Oh, it's true… you don't realise how she looks at you. I'm telling you, she…_"

Her thought was cut off by an overwhelming wave of pleasure that had him mentally speechless too.


	65. Cornfield

After a long drive across state lines to Kansas that involved its fair share of crying, feeding and toilet breaks as well as solemn oaths to not use telepathic powers whilst driving, the Carter-Jacksons arrived in Shawnee County, Sam pulling up outside the Mitchell house behind Cam's car. They were met by a grinning Cam, his arm around a happy looking slender woman in her late fifties with sun-bleached hair.

As Cam helped get both sets of twins out of the car, he said, "Mom, these are Sam and Jackson – I told you about them a little earlier… and these here are… Cameron, James, Jacob and Claire – my godchildren."

Gesturing towards his mother, he said to his friends, "And this wonderful lady is my Mom…"

His mother stepped forward, smiling and said, offering her hand, "Wendy Mitchell – nice to meet you."

Sam and Daniel each shook her hand, the former saying, "Likewise, Mrs Mitchell."

Cam picked up a drowsy Cammie, Sam holding James' hand as she lifted Claire's car seat, Daniel Jacob's. Wendy said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "Oh, call me Wendy, everyone else does. Come on in – you can put those cute kids upstairs and…"

Sam and Daniel exchanged a glance, the latter saying, "Oh, we don't want to…"

As Wendy looked at them oddly, Cam said, glaring at him, "Jackson, I already said that it's cool."

Wendy remarked, "You'll check into a hotel over my dead body – we've got tonnes of space. It's already a big house, plus Cam's sisters aren't living here any more."

She added with a grin as they walked up the path to the house, "And I could get to know two more of the five people who Cam talks about the most."

Sam and Daniel, amused, glanced at an embarrassed Cam, who quietly said with a shrug, "I did say you guys were like heroes to me… Anyway, Jonas and Carolyn are here as well as the three Generals. _Murray_ came up with me and Vala."

As they entered the house, Sam and Daniel barely hid their smiles as they glanced at each other, the Astrophysicist remarking silently,

'_I wonder what surname he used for Teal'c._'

'_If Jack's here, I'm betting it's Jagger._'

As if on cue, Jack appeared in the hallway, wearing casual clothes, with Teal'c sporting one of his many hats, remarking as Wendy grinned at him, "Well, the gang's all here. You know how Jagger here gets when you're late."

Sam, Daniel and Cam struggled to keep straight faces, James running to hug Jack around his knees, Cammie asleep in Cam's hold, and Sam said,

"Hey Murray."

Teal'c bowed slightly, replying, "Samantha."

'_Told you Sam…_ _Oh, have I got a funny story about Jack and his Rolling Stones obsession._'

'_Oh?_'

'_Later… I'm struggling to keep a straight face as it is._'

--------------------

Helping Wendy in the kitchen with Carolyn, Sam glanced out of the window, noticing Cam and Vala in the cornfield with a young man, so she asked as she sliced vegetables for a salad,

"Is that Fred?"

Wendy peered through the same window that Sam had looked through, and replied with a smile, "Oh yes."

"Wow, he's grown. Cam showed me a picture of you, Frank and Fred a few years ago."

Carolyn, stirring a pan on the cooker, asked, "Who's Fred?"

Sam replied, tossing the salad, "Cam's younger brother."

Wendy, still smiling as she peered into the oven, said, "We had Fred late – he's twenty-three… he doesn't want to follow in Frank and Cam's footsteps though. I hear him… I was against the draft back in the day."

Sam and Carolyn exchanged a discreet glance, the former replying with a slight smile as she wiped up the kitchen top, "Oh, that sounds like Daniel."

Wendy, intrigued, said, "But Cam said that he was as good as a soldier. What do you guys do out of Colorado?!"

"It's a Special Forces team – it's classified. I can tell you that Daniel acts as a cultural and linguistic expert."

"Ah, say no more… military families know all about when not to ask about classified stuff. So… you don't see many female Colonels, not least female commanding officers… you must be doing a mighty fine job out wherever you go."

Sam shrugged, a touch embarrassed as she replied, "It's a living."

"I'll say."

As Wendy covered the salad, placing the bowl in the fridge, Sam began to peel some vegetables, suddenly feeling an overwhelming sense of relief and friendship. She said silently,

'_Daniel?_'

'_Nice save honey… telling her without telling her._'

'_I thought so… where are you?_'

'_Uh… out with Jack, Frank, General Landry and Uncle George, checking out Frank's car out front. Mitchell, Fred, and Mitchell's friend Darrell are teaching our aliens __Bourrée_'

'_That's funny… wait a sec, you don't have a clue about cars._'

'_Hey, I know how to drive… Ah, you're right. Anyway, Jack's pretty much covering for me. So… what are you up to?_'

'_Carolyn and I are helping Wendy in the kitchen – she's such a nice woman. I can see where Cam gets his chirpiness from._'

'_I'll say… Frank looks a lot like Mitchell, but he's miserable. I think Mitchell got his patented glares from him._'

Sam hid a smile behind her hair as she sliced the vegetables, placing them in a bowl, ready for Wendy to pour them into a pan, and she became aware that Wendy was speaking to her.

"How long have you two been married?"

Smiling, Sam replied as she felt Daniel grow silent, "Oh, not long. A year and nearly two months. The younger twins were born on our first anniversary in March."

Carolyn hid a smirk as Wendy replied, briefly fiddling with the oven knob, "That is so cute… A good excuse not to get deluged with clocks – they'd wake up the babies."

Carolyn said as she placed a lid over the pan that she had just stirred, lowering the gas, "Murray suggested placing unwanted presents on eBay."

Wendy replied, "Now that is sensible – you could get money for things that even Elvis wouldn't want and…"

She paused and continued with a nostalgic smile, "Oh my, this one time, my mother-in-law gifted me two dowdy blouses for Christmas… we didn't have the Internet at home then, so I took them apart and then made four couch cushions out of them. She never found out. Well, if she did, she never said."

Taking the bowl that Sam had filled, she grinned at the memory, and Sam, smiling slightly, asked, "Would that be the, uh, bible-thumper?"

Surprised, Wendy replied as she stirred the contents of the pan, Carolyn taking the chopping board to the sink, "Yeah, that's her. Grandma Mitchell, God rest her soul. I know it's bad to speak ill of the dead, but she was a religious zealot."

"Oh, I gathered that. Cam keeps quoting her brand of morality."

"Oh yeah… Cam thought the world of her because she would give him a macaroon if he sat through it all. Bible quotes a plenty, and… _If you can get the milk for free, you don't have to buy the cow._"

Sam, smiling at the mention of macaroons, replied, "Wow, he's never mentioned _that_ moral."

"She said that to me all the time when Frank and I were engaged… what can I say, it was the sixties!"

Sam and Carolyn exchanged an embarrassed glance, and Wendy added, grinning as she switched off the oven, "Don't worry you two. I'm on strict orders from Cam not to mention the sixties, unless I'm alone with Vala of course…"

'_Oh thank God… Jack's going to get completely the wrong idea if I start going red now._'

"…She reminds me of… well, me when I was so young and carefree. She's not afraid to say what she thinks, and I like that. Plus, she makes Cam happy… as well as loving my pies."

Carolyn found the edge of her apron suddenly interesting as she hid a smile, and Sam remarked, amused, "Oh yes, she is candid."

As Sam wiped up, she heard Daniel remark in her head, '_Samantha Carter-Jackson, do you have a penchant for understating things?!_'

'_Jackson, quit eavesdropping – I'm not doing it to you._'

'_Well, that's because I'm not letting you… there's some rude stuff going about, which is embarrassing Uncle George._'

'_God, we've got to tell our friends about… this._'

'_Hmm, maybe… if we do, it'll have to be after the wedding – we don't want to steal the show._'

'_That's if a bounty hunter doesn't do it first._'

'_I have it on good authority that that won't happen again._'

As Wendy began to ask her something, Sam remarked silently, '_Mitchell optimism?_'

'_You bet…_'

--------------------

After a large lively dinner with everyone present, and after the large clear-up, Sam slipped out the back door with Daniel as the babies slept, the older twins playing with Cam's nieces and nephews who had come with Cam's sisters earlier, and she said as they sat on a wooden fence overlooking a large cornfield,

"God, this is nice."

Slipping an arm around her shoulders as she leant her head on his shoulder, he replied, kissing her forehead, "Sure is."

As she put an arm around his waist, she said as they watched the sun go down over the field, "I used to dream of living out in the country with horses and…"

She felt a wave of jealousy coming from him, and she frowned slightly before whispering silently, '_Ah, sorry…_'

'_No, I should be…_'

'_It's nice that you're jealous though._'

He silently laughed, before asking, '_Was than an image of your dream or…?_'

She sighed, replying as she closed her eyes, '_No. Fifth tried to trick me into staying with him so he created an illusion of how life could be with Pete. We had this beautiful farmhouse with the kitchen painted yellow, and we had horses. He made me pancakes for breakfast._'

Despite feeling sadness at the memory of what Fifth had done to her, she couldn't help but sound dreamy in her inner voice. He, amused, replied,

'_Whatever you want, honey… we could buy a house out in the country._'

Intrigued, she glanced at him, asking, '_You're not mad?_'

'_Are you kidding… it's a nice dream. We sometimes dream of being able to take refuge from the stress of our lives… and just think, out in the country, it'll be quiet, and we'll be closer to the very thing that we've been protecting and fighting for all these years._'

'_Ha, yes, and Cam could come to play the fiddle on the front porch, keeping time with his foot._'

As he kissed her, he remarked, '_I can see you've given this a lot of thought._'

She grinned, replying, '_Oh yeah. Hey, do you want to go for a walk through the field?_'

He looked at her, surprised, before his expression softened into one of embarrassment as he sensed something, and he remarked, '_Honey, I don't think the Mitchells are going to take too kindly to us christening their cornfield._'

She grinned at him mischievously, replying, '_Oh, it's fun to embarrass you. No, come on. And besides, I'm sure Wendy and Frank have beat us to it._'

'_Saaam… that's not a mental image I want…_'

She slid off the fence, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him into the field as the dusky twilight softly fell onto the corn. Getting some distance between them and the house, she turned around and slipped her arms around his neck as she kissed him. His arms encircled her waist as he kissed her back, remarking silently,

'_Good call, Colonel._'

'_Hmm, I thought so, Jackson. Wow, you taste nice this evening._'

'_Oh?_'

'_Something to do with Wendy's chocolate cake. I could kiss you all day._'

'_I think we still need to breathe, but at least we can talk._'

They parted due to a surfacing urge to snicker, and she replied, laughing, '_Oh God, that just struck me as ridiculously funny. You're multitasking._'

'_So… have you been able to feel or read anyone else?_'

'_No, although I've been able to sense presences sometimes, but that whole empathic/telepathic thing doesn't work with anyone else but you. When we get back home, we're going to have to experiment…_'

As he kissed her ear, he replied, '_Oh, so fun._'

She slowly inched her hands down the back of his jeans as he gazed at her, and she asked aloud, "So… what was the funny story you were going to tell about General O'Neill and the Rolling Stones?"

Suddenly chuckling at a thought, he answered her mentally, sending her a mental picture, and she let go of his jeans to double over with laughter. He held her up, supporting her as she was barely able to hold herself up, and she asked, still laughing,

"Oh my God! Did that really happen?"

He nodded, replying, amused, "Yeah, it was at Jack's cabin while you were seeing Pete. Jack was really drunk by the end of the night, which is unusual as he usually knows when to stop. He started loudly singing 'Get Off My Cloud' at the top of his voice while dealing cards, and he wasn't aware that he was doing it. Luckily the nearest neighbours are miles away… And the funny thing, or _a_ funny thing rather, was that he knew the verses too and not just the chorus."

As she held onto him, she remarked, grinning, "Oh, the pranks."

"Sam, he'll kill me if he knows I told you."

His eyes suddenly lit up with a mischievous glint, and he added with a remark, "But a prank could be good."

They kissed again, and she said, her arms around his waist, her hands reaching under his t-shirt to feel his taut back, "The wedding's going to be so fun…"

He kissed her nose, replying with a grin, "I'll say. Wendy's a great cook."

She prodded his stomach, remarking silently with a raised eyebrow, '_You're not going on missions any more…_'

'_I might be… I want to go back to SG-1 when I resign as leader._'

'_Ah, the General's been on your case._'

'_Ya think?!_'

'_Since when do you let the General push you around?_'

He shrugged, replying, '_He's so persuasive, and he reckons that Mitchell will screw things up if he's left alone. He's blaming us not being there for the Ori coming._'

'_Yes, but that was mainly Vala._'

'_It's Jack – he has ideas that us, Teal'c and him should have been there and we would have apparently won way before now._'

She grinned, remarking, '_Well, that's impossible, but I love his faith in the classic line-up of SG-1._'

'_He misses the action._'

They kissed once more, just as they heard Jack call, "Daniel, _Grimey_ here reckons you can't shoot to save your life. Come teach him a lesson or twelve and prove me and Mitchell right."

She looked disappointed, but smiled and remarked, "Well, you've got some shooting skills to show off."

He whispered close to her ear before kissing it, "I have other shooting skills."

Grinning, she kissed the sensitive spot on his neck, making his breathing change, and she remarked, "You really didn't need to say that… now, go on – scoot."

He raised an eyebrow at her, silently remarking, '_Scoot?_'

She cheekily patted him on the backside before calling back, facing the direction that Jack had called from, "He's coming!"

Jack shouted, "Carter, he would be here sooner if you didn't keep sticking your hands down his pants!"

Sam and Daniel exchanged an embarrassed glance, the former asking, "How did he know?"

He shrugged, replying as he softly kissed her, her hands wandering beneath the waistband of his boxers once more, '_He's just saying that for effect… if only he knew…_'


	66. Wedding

_Those of you familiar with 'the Vicar of Dibley' will recognise an homage to Alice and Hugo's wedding here (no… no Teletubbies for bridesmaids… or an OTT wedding dress… lol). Whether you get that or not, you'll definitely get the '200' reference._

_--------------------_

Daniel, in a tuxedo, stood at the front of a packed chapel next to a nervous looking Cam, in dress blues, and the Archaeologist remarked with a brief raise of his eyebrows, "You know… if she doesn't show up, people are gonna think…"

Cam looked at him in disbelief, and Jack remarked loudly from a pew behind them, making half of the congregation laugh, "That you're _gay_!?"

The two men exchanged a glance and then turned to glare at the now nonchalant General, who was looking after the younger twins. Jack shrugged and remarked,

"No point doing anything by halves, Daniel. If you're gonna imply something, just come out and say it. And besides, you two look too much like brothers to make a convincing gay couple… _and _Carter would kick both of your asses."

"Right…"

They turned back to face the front, and Cam asked in a whisper with a sigh, "Jackson… you don't think we've rushed this… do you? I mean…"

Daniel smiling slightly as he knew what the guy was going through, patted him on the shoulder and whispered back, "Mitchell, relax. I went through the same you're going through. All that matters is that you'll be marrying the woman that you love more than the stars in the sky."

Cam smiled at the Archaeologist as said Archaeologist's gaze became a little distant, and the Colonel remarked, "Jackson, your wife's coming soon. She's giving my future wife away. It's unusual, but hey… we do unusual all the time."

Teal'c remarked from behind them as Jonas and Jack smiled, "Indeed we do although we are most suitably employed."

"That's for sure."

The sound of music made everyone turn to see Cammie and one of Cam's younger nieces walking down the aisle together and tossing flower petals as part of their duties as flower girls. Next came James helped by one of Cam's nephews as he bore the rings on a cushion, Daniel quickly hugging the twins and whispering declarations of how proud he was of them when they reached him.

The first chords of the Wedding March made everyone turn to the entrance of the chapel to see a nervously smiling Vala in crushed white silk and lace, on the arm of a confidently smiling Sam in cream, and followed by Carolyn, and Cam's nieces in similar hues. As Cam's breath caught in his throat on seeing his bride, Wendy crying tears of joy into her handkerchief as Jonas gaped at his fiancée; Daniel wondered whether _his_ bride could wear anything that didn't make him forget what day it was.

'_Whoa… Sam… you're… wow.'_

Sam visibly blushed as she reached the front, remarking silently, '_It's interesting how I rendered a telepath speechless._'

Daniel forced himself to focus on his duties as best man as Sam placed Vala's hand into Cam's, the alien grinning nervously at her husband-to-be. Cam nodded briefly at Sam, saluting her and she, smiling slightly, saluted back and said as they shook hands,

"Look after her otherwise you're going to have us all on your backs."

'_Nice threat, honey._'

--------------------

After the Calling of the Bans, as the Preacher was about to continue on with the service, a fair-haired woman appeared in the doorway of the chapel and called, holding up a sheaf of papers, "I have an objection! He's married to me..."

She shook the sheaf she held and continued, "… and don't let him deny it! I have the documents right here!"

Sam glanced worriedly at an angry Daniel, saying silently as most eyes were fixed on the new arrival, '_Daniel, calm down…_'

'_He messed her about._'

Vala fainted as everyone else looked on in shock, Daniel glaring at Cam for an explanation, when the Colonel turned to look at the doorway, the woman's facial expression softened into surprise, and she said with an embarrassed smile, "Oh! Wrong wedding! Um, you folks wouldn't happen to know where the Reformation is, would you?"

One of the guests quickly gave her directions as Cam and Daniel helped Vala up, the alien still looking shocked. He held her hands and leaned in to whisper in her ear,

"Vala, I've been nothing but honest with you."

She nodded, looking ready to cry, and he asked as the Preacher's attention returned to them, "Do you still want to go ahead?"

She nodded again, replying with a little smile, "Of course I do… you know, for a moment there…"

He patted her hand as Sam and Daniel exchanged an amused look, and the southern Colonel replied, "I know, baby. I'm not like that."

'_I'm glad he's not like that – we would have had to beat him up… although I don't think we would have got there before you Daniel._'

Daniel glanced at his wife, a touch guilty as he remembered the events of two nights ago, but Sam shook her head slightly and replied, '_You're a good friend to her… she needs that._'

--------------------

Married, the new couple kissed and left the chapel, arm-in-arm as everyone cheered, following suit. As Sam and Daniel walked together with their older children, Daniel holding Jacob in his arms, Jack, holding Claire, sidled up to Sam and remarked,

"You know, if that had only happened at your wedding… _that_ would have been a lot of fun."

Sam looked at her superior officer in disbelief and remarked, "You're nothing but a big kid, aren't you Sir?"

Daniel smiled innocently when Jack's gaze shifted to him, and the older man glanced back at Sam, his eyebrow raised, and he retorted, "I wouldn't say _nothing_, Carter. You did well standing in for Vala's Dad."

Sam replied with a smile as they all emerged outside to be greeted by the business end of Frank Mitchell's camera, "Well Sir… it was either that, or everyone being sold Stardust and having their Rolexes stolen."

"Good point… sounds like my type of guy."

"You would have shot him, Sir… or quite possibly sung _Get Off My Cloud_ at him."

Jack's eyebrow shot up as Sam did her best not to smile, Daniel raising his eyebrows briefly with a little smile as Jack glared at him, remarking, "You know, Space Monkey, if you weren't holding my nephew, I'd tackle you to the ground."

'_Just as well you're holding our little boy, otherwise you would have to show Jack how far you've come._'

'_Wow, you're faith in me is unbelievable… Wait, you really think so?_'

'_I know so, honey. You've changed so much._'

Daniel retorted aloud, "My wife's here. I don't think she's going to take too kindly to you coming onto me again."

Sam closed her eyes briefly in surprise before proceeding to laugh. Just then Claire began to cry and Jack caressed her cheek, remarking quietly,

"What is it, Claire? Is Daddy's homophobia making you upset? Bad Daddy."

James grinned up at his Uncle Jack, saying, "Silly Daddy."

Jack raised an eyebrow and replied as Sam glanced at her thoughtful looking husband, "Meh, he can be but he's well worth it."


	67. Thoughts and Insights

Later that night, the Carter-Jacksons arrived home after a long drive preceded by seeing Cam and Vala off on their honeymoon to Disney World – the new Mrs Mitchell having never had a chance to go there before – and placed their sleeping quartet in their beds and cribs, smoothing their fair heads.

In their room, after showering together, Sam and Daniel went about unpacking their bags, putting their things away, silently talking all the while.

'_Daniel… we really do need to tell them about this. They're our friends… hell, our family._'

'_I know, Sam, but we have to wait for Mitchell and Vala to come back, and then Jonas and Carolyn are planning on having their wedding… plus, we're still thinking about moving house __**and**__ there's the ever-present matter of what happens after our leave ends._'

'_I'm going to be honest with you – I can't bring myself to quit outright._'

'_I feel the same. The mountain's changed our lives so much already, but we have to factor our quartet into the equation._'

She chuckled, remarking aloud, amused as she watched the tops of his ears go red, "Factor?! I see that Astrophysicist has changed you."

He rolled his eyes and retorted, feigning exasperation, "That Astrophysicist of mine is crazy."

She laughed and socked him in the arm, remarking, "Not as crazy and incomprehensible as my Archaeologist when he's just worked out something and wants to share it with the world, only he's tongue-tied."

"You know, that character appraisal will get you far, Samantha."

She looked at him coyly, remarking as he wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her close, "I figured it would. Unlike other guys, it's fun giving you an ego-stroking."

He softly kissed her, replying as he caressed the side of her face, grateful that she was still alive especially after what had happened on Atlantis, "I don't know… I think the kissing's pretty fun… and the rest."

She laughed again as she watched him redden and she caressed his neck, saying as they held onto each other, her head resting on his shoulder, "Everything's fun…"

'… _even the telepathy… with anyone else it would be scary. Ok, it's still scary but I feel safe with you._'

'_It's just as well, seeing as you agreed to marry me._'

She laughed quietly as his fingers caressed her hair, her neck and her shoulder, and she closed her eyes with a happy little sigh. Her own fingers travelled under his t-shirt, caressing his lower back and waist, and he kissed her hair. Suddenly, her eyes opened in surprise and she asked, still holding him as she met his gaze,

"You have a piano in storage?"

He frowned in confusion and then puzzlement. He asked, a little embarrassed, "Sam?"

Feeling increasingly spooked as she realised that she had picked up something from his subconsciousness, she said, bemused, "You were right about no secrets… I don't know how I got that out of you."

She frowned in thought before asking as she remembered the early days of their friendship, "Where did _that_ piano go? You know… the one you used to have when you got your first apartment."

He closed his eyes and said, finally caught, "Jack put it in storage after Kelowna, and then I decided to keep it there."

"You never said a word."

"Well, there was never time to play when things heated up first with Anubis, the Replicators and then the Ori… and I didn't think you'd want a big unwieldy thing in the house."

She shook her head in disbelief, smiling slightly and she remarked, kissing him on the cheek, "You really should stop walking on eggshells when it comes to stuff like this. I have to say, it explains why you tap away on my shoulder every night."

She continued as she slipped her arms around his neck, "We could have it in the new house… I'd love to hear you play."

He ducked his head in embarrassment, whispering, "I'm not very good."

Smiling at his complexion reddening, she remarked as she hugged him, "Now I know that isn't true. Everything you do, you always put your heart and soul into it."

She continued, patting him on his backside, "It's a shame that doesn't apply to taking a break for you."

"Look who's talking… you used to stay on base for days at a time."

"That was before I got a new Archaeologist to play with."

As he reddened further, kissing her neck, they lay together, opposite each other. Lying on their sides, they rested a hand on the other's hip as they gazed at each other. His hand ran up her arm to her shoulder, and then to her face. Suddenly, her head went back and then the world disappeared from view.

She found herself in a large desert, white orbs of light zipping around her, and, she, recognising where she was, called, "Daniel? I never asked you what these white things are…"

She heard his voice all around her, replying, "They're thoughts, memories and knowledge… catch the one that's coming towards you."

Startled at a white orb shooting straight towards her, she lifted a hand to protect her face, the orb softly crushing into her palm, the light engulfing her. She closed her eyes instinctively, and when she opened them, she found herself in the lounge of a modest townhouse. Confused, she turned on hearing piano music and she saw a young boy with a soft sun-bleached mop of hair that appeared to be so familiar.

Apparently unseen, she walked around the boy to see who it was and was shocked on recognising the very familiar facial features.

Amazed and admittedly a little disturbed, she said, "Daniel?"

She heard his voice all around her once again, replying, "This is just a memory… it's me, aged eight… a month before…"

"I got it, honey."

She knelt on the floor next to the boy and watched his long, nimble fingers fly across the keys, his cerulean eyes focussed like twin lasers on the sheet music in front of him. She smiled as she recognised Beethoven's Symphony number 9 – a short clip of which had been distributed with her laptop's media player many years before – humming along in parts. She looked surprised when he looked frustrated on hitting a wrong note, and then she smiled ruefully, remembering his impossibly high standards he had set for himself.

She whispered, "You play beautifully, Daniel."

She caressed the little boy's hair, continuing as the boy didn't feel a thing, "And you, young man, will be going on to do wonderful things."

She stood just as a similarly looking woman walked through the door, saying with a winsome smile, "Danny, that was beautiful. That can be your practice for the day."

"But Mom! I got it wrong!"

Claire approached her son as he immediately got up and she sat down in his seat, pulling the little boy into her lap as she said, smoothing his hair affectionately, "Perfection is not what matters. What matters is how you express yourself through the music. You are very passionate – don't ever lose that."

As tears ran down Sam's cheeks on watching the scene, Danny asked, looking up at his mother, "If Beethoven meant to put an A minor instead of B flat, he would've done it."

She kissed his cheek and said quietly, "You'll understand one day."

At that moment, a young man entered the scene with shaggy darker brown hair and Danny grinned, saying, "Daddy."

As Claire smiled, Melburn leaned down to kiss her, whispering, "I missed you today, honey."

She replied, her face glowing with happiness on seeing him, "I missed you too… and so has Danny."

Melburn gently caressed her cheek, maintaining eye contact for a moment and then he picked up the little Jackson, the boy now giggling as the elder Jackson swung him around, saying, "And Daddy missed you, garçon. What have you been up to today?"

Danny pouted and replied, "I keep messing up Symphony number 9."

Melburn, raising an eyebrow in disbelief at his wife who raised an eyebrow back at him, said, gazing at his son, "Danny… what matters is that you put your heart into it. There is no satisfaction in perfection."

Sam, still crying, called, gazing around her, "Daniel?"

Daniel replied after a beat, this time standing right next to her, "That's my last nice memory of them. I shared the bad one with you already."

She held him close, saying, "Mom and Dad were wonderful parents."

He stroked her hair as he wistfully watched his parents, so vivid and full of life. He planted a kiss on her temple and whispered, "Come on, let's go home, Sam."

He was about to say something further when they both heard the sounds of crying surrounding them. Noticing that the Jacksons of the past hadn't appeared to have heard it, she asked, worried,

"Daniel?"

He caressed her cheek and replied as he closed his eyes in order to focus, "Our babies are hungry."

--------------------

Back in the real world, Sam went about feeding the younger twins downstairs in a comfortable chair, remarking quietly as she gazed down at her youngest children, "I should really use my breast pump… this isn't practical but they won't drink out of a bottle except when General O'Neill's around."

As he fed a sleepy Cammie, James asleep next to him, Daniel leaned over to stroke a baby's cheek, saying, "They're not silly – Jack doesn't have breasts."

Sam laughed in disbelief, and then asked, feigning seriousness, "Did you ever wonder that your mammary gland obsession could be congenital?"

He blushed, and picked up Claire when she had finished feeding, burping the baby girl while Sam burped Jacob. The Archaeologist remarked with a little smile,

"They drink a lot."

She looked down at Jacob in her arms, the baby now sleeping, and she said, meeting Daniel's gaze, "I think they have some kind of powers. I don't know what they are but they've each got a faster metabolism like you… I'm still making way too much milk though."

Gently kissing a sleeping Claire, he replied, "It would make sense seeing as I have to guard them… I'm not sure why you're making so much milk though because even though they drink enough to make an entire squadron go to the bathroom within five minutes, they never drink all of it."

--------------------

Back in their room, after settling their children down once again, Sam caressed Daniel's hip, whispering as he smoothed her waist, "Mom and Dad were very happy people."

He nodded, replying as his fingers moved to her jaw, "They were always cheerful and optimistic."

'_You were a cute kid._'

'_Saaam!_'

'_You were… and you're still cute._'

'_Well, you're hot._'

She laughed briefly and then remembered what he had said on Atlantis when asking after her older self and she closed her eyes. He kissed her softly, saying silently,

'_Sorry… I meant it though. You're like every one of my fantasies rolled into one. Your beauty isn't skin-deep, and I don't have to dumb anything down when I talk to you._'


	68. What the Heck

_Sorry for the staggered updates… I'm starting to get writer's block and isn't very nice because I'm so close to finishing this story._

_--------------------_

While the toddler twins played with their blocks and the baby twins slept nearby, Sam and Daniel went about looking at the specs for prospective houses in the local area. She said with a little smile as she gazed across the table at him, holding up a piece of paper, "This one's nice – it's near Carolyn's. It's got five rooms and we can get to the mountain in about twenty-five minutes."

She handed him the paper and he looked at the image of the house above the details and said, glancing at her, "The neighbourhood's bound to be alright… and when our Juniors are old enough, we can send them to Cassie's old school."

She nodded and was about to reply when the phone rang. They exchanged a little glance as he reached for the handset in the centre of the table, saying,

"Hello?"

He frowned slightly and then his eyes widened in surprise. She suddenly covered her hand with her mouth in shock as she received a mental answer to her silent question, and they held each other's gaze for a moment.

"Ok… wow, um… Why would you do that? Jonas… we're a family. You could have at least told us beforehand… uh-huh… mm-hm. Look, I'm sure Sam will ring you later… I've just got to, uh, break the news to her. Ok… yeah, bye."

He disconnected and they stared at each other, and she asked, finding her own words surreal, "They went to Vegas?"

He nodded and replied, closing his eyes as he sighed, "General Landry was getting edgy about Jonas' suitability for Carolyn and they got fed up and eloped… Wow."

"I'll say… they had a proper wedding in the other timeline."

He reached over the table to hold her hands and remarked, still shocked, "You know, I would have thought that if anyone was going to Las Vegas, it would have been Mitchell and Vala… or even Jack and Sara. Jonas and Carolyn are just so strait-laced."

She asked, raising an eyebrow briefly, "Do you think we could get them tested at the mountain?"

"Oh, I think the General's already thought of that. To tell the truth, his face is going to be priceless right about now."

They smiled, and she remarked, "You've spent a little too much time with General O'Neill… ok, it would be funny…"

She sighed and said, "They could have told us though. It's like they don't trust us."

"They hadn't told anyone… I can just see Teal'c's eyebrow going up. We're going to have to have words with our favourite Kelownan a little later on about one's SG-team being closer than family."

"Well, we know General O'Neill and he knows General Landry… they were probably scared that Landry would chase them down to Nevada and ground Carolyn."

They snickered, and she said, glancing at Cammie right before she threw a wooden block right at her brother's head in anger, "He is a bit overprotec… hey!"

She got up and picked up a crying James, checking his forehead out as Cammie started crying too. Sam sighed and said as Daniel got up, "Cameron, why did you hit your brother? Who told you that it was a good idea to hit _anyone_ on the head with _anything_?"

Cammie hit and kicked the floor in frustration and screamed as Daniel knelt on the floor next to her and said in a low voice, "Just say sorry to James. That was a very bad thing to do. Neither of us has taught you or your brother to be violent."

Cammie picked up another block, ready to throw it and Daniel closed his eyes briefly before quickly taking it off her and saying as Sam looked on, scared as she shielded James' head, "Cameron. Stop it."

"FUBAR!"

Daniel sighed and picked the little girl up into his lap and said, gazing down at her as she almost instantly stopped being so belligerent, "I don't want to hear you ever using that sort of language again, do you understand? Now say sorry to your brother. You could have hurt him badly – luckily, you've only hurt his pride."

Cammie, clinging to her father, looked across at James through her tears, Sam wiping up the little boy's face as he began to smile again. She hid her face in her father's shoulder, wetness from her tears and dribble seeping through to his skin and she whispered,

"So'ee."

Daniel looked down at her to see that she looked penitent and he dried her face, saying, "Go and say sorry to James."

He gently kissed her cheek as she slowly got up and approached her brother. She knelt down next to him and kissed him on the cheek, saying, "So'ee, James."

He kissed her back and then hugged her as Sam and Daniel exchanged a little glance, smiling proudly at the scene.

'_They're going to be so great all grown up although Cammie's still as belligerent as ever._'

'_She gets that from you, Sam. I married a crazy woman and have a crazy daughter._'

Sam covered her mouth with her hand as she began to chuckle, replying as Daniel smiled innocently, '_Honey, if anything, she gets that from you… the cover model of Stubbornness Oct-Weekly…_'


	69. Breaking News

One afternoon, after Cam and Vala had returned from their unusual albeit fun honeymoon, the alien now succumbing to morning sickness, Daniel gathered SG-1, Carolyn and Jack into his office overlooking the briefing room. As they all sat, stood or perched around the room, Daniel perched on the front edge of his desk with Sam next to him, their fingers interlaced as he said,

"The reason why we've brought you here today is that we have some news…"

Everyone exchanged confused looks, and Jack remarked, "You're having more kids. Daniel, you dog."

Daniel glanced down at his feet briefly as Sam blushed, the others chuckling as Teal'c added, "DanielJackson does not resemble a canine."

"T…"

"DanielJackson once stated that the canines of this planet are poor linguists whereas he is an exceptional linguist."

Jack patted him on the shoulder, amused as they looked back at the Jacksons, Cam saying, holding the back of a tired looking Vala's seat, "Hey, you could have told us at your house seeing as we're helping you guys to move."

Sam said, glancing at Daniel, "It's too risky. We can't have anyone outside of this office finding out."

She sighed and Daniel nodded, saying after a dramatic pause, "We're telepaths."

As everyone else looked sceptical, Jack asked, "Ok Daniel, what is it really?"

Sam replied, "No Sir… we really are telepaths. Daniel can control it better than me and his ability is much stronger… I can only pick up his thoughts and emotions. He can pick up mine… but sometimes he can sense emotions from other people."

'_I don't think it 's a good idea to mention the little trips we take – we'd never hear the end of it from the General._'

'_Good idea, honey. Jack would keep digging at us about booty-calling again._'

Everyone's attention shifted to Daniel who shrugged and said, embarrassed at the attention as well as what he had just said silently to his wife, "It's part of my utility belt."

Vala asked with a brief raise of her hand, sounding strained due to her condition as a concerned Cam caressed her shoulder, "Would I be right in surmising that Samantha only has this link with you because of your status, or is it random?"

Sam glanced at Daniel and replied, "The telepathy/empathy link's just between us… but as you know, Jackson here has that utility belt of his…"

Daniel picked up the thread, continuing as he gazed at her and then looked back at their friends, "I can sense presences sometimes and emotions, but I can't read anyone's minds, so nothing exactly new there."

Sam added, "We can't have the NID or even the IOA finding out about this. They already know about Daniel's powers but this just might tip the balance and have us vivisected faster than you could say 'court martial'."

Cam shrugged and remarked as Carolyn looked increasingly thoughtful, "Well, the NID won't do anything except _accidentally_ let the black sheep of their family know and have them go a-kidnappin' again… and judging by what the IOA have done in the past, those guys'll torture you in twenty-five languages."

Everyone else exchanged worried looks, and Carolyn said to Sam, "I think the critical question to ask here, Sam, is how you feel. Daniel had to compensate for the energy used with a high energy diet. Have you noticed any adverse side-effects… or any side-effects at all?"

Sam replied, squeezing Daniel's hand, "No, I've been fine… I don't think I have any Ancient knowledge in my head… I haven't exhibited any other powers. You would have picked up something on my last medical anyway."

Jonas asked, his arm around Carolyn's waist, glancing at his new wife, "Another not-so critical question would to be to ask is, ah, how you've had this… link for?"

'_We're going to get busted for double standards, Daniel._'

'_No we're not – we kept it a secret this long for them._'

Sam and Daniel exchanged a little glance, and Jack asked, an eyebrow raised, "Yes, how long, Space Monkey?"

Sam bit her lip and Daniel closed his eyes briefly and replied, "The night before driving up to Shawnee."

Everyone else exchanged surprised looks and Teal'c stated, a question in itself without sounding like one, "You have kept this a secret for nearly a month."

Jonas and Carolyn exchanged a little glance, the Medic looking increasingly sceptical, and the Kelownan said with a little sigh, "You got pissed at us for Vegas, going on and on about us all being like family and yet you hid something as big as this from us."

Jack raised an eyebrow at the Kelownan, remarking, "I would pay to see Hank's face."

Teal'c added, "Indeed. GeneralLandry's facial features would be of a most interesting nature."

Cam, Vala, Jack, Sam and Daniel chuckled, the General patting the Jaffa on the back as Carolyn and Jonas glanced at their feet, a little annoyed. Daniel said, his head cocked as he looked at Jonas,

"There never was a good time to do it. We didn't want to overshadow Mitchell and Vala's wedding, and then you two were going to get married… We haven't told anyone else. The Atlantis expedition don't know and hopefully aren't going to find out. This is something that we know will stay in this room. I'm sorry if you're annoyed and thinking we have double standards… there was just so much going on."

'_Daniel… calm down – I'm not having you dotting Jonas._'

Vala looked up at Cam as he squeezed her shoulder, the Mitchells exchanging smiles as Jonas and Carolyn looked chastened, and Jack said with a shrug, "You did what you had to do… I'm sure any of us would have done the same in your situation…"

He glared back at the Quinns briefly, continuing, "… and I'm sure we're not pissed at you for it. Hell, after everything you've been through, you guys deserve a whole expressway of leeway."

Cam said, scratching the back of his neck, "I guess we owe you some thanks for thinking about us like that."

Vala remarked, patting the hand that was on her shoulder, "We also owe you our first born… but we'll arrange the details later."

'_Oh boy, he sounded like a nice young man… his sister was a hellion though._'

'_Twins?_'

'_Oh crap… um, I trust you're not going to go posting this on the staff forum… it's not twins. It's a boy and… I can't tell you any more because it'll screw up the way things end up._'

'_It's Cammie isn't it?_'

'_Dang… we're telepaths… I keep forgetting. Ok, yes, but it doesn't work out because she had emotional issues. The older you told me that the boy's sister was like a blonde version of her Mom._'

'_I'm not looking forward to being Uncle Daniel now…_'

Sam smiled slightly as Daniel remarked to Vala with a little smile, "As long as he, she , or they, doesn't beat me up and then steal my car without knowing how to drive."

Everyone chuckled, Jack folding his arms across his chest and looking at the Archaeologist with an interesting expression on his face. Vala retorted with a smile, her voice a little weak,

"Oh my dear Archaeologist, I was just testing you."

"In super soldier armour?"

"It was a well-thought out test… now shush – don't ruin the moment."

As Sam leaned her head on Daniel's shoulder, smiling in amusement, Jack remarked, "He sold your ass, Vala. Our boy's come so far."

As Daniel looked embarrassed, Sam kissed him on the cheek and remarked with a grin, "He sure has."

Teal'c remarked, a little smile playing on his lips, "If any of us were to attempt such an enterprise, we would surely fail, or at least struggle to emerge victorious."

Everyone else looked surprised at this, and Jack said, his eyebrows raised, "See, even T's admitting that you'll sell his ass… if you were that way inclined…"

--------------------

After everyone else had left the office, Daniel's arm around Sam's waist, Jonas and Carolyn stayed behind, looking embarrassed. The Jacksons exchanged a little glance before waiting for the Quinns to speak. Jonas, glancing at Carolyn, said, a little red,

"We're really, really sorry, you guys. We didn't mean to imply that you guys had double standards. I guess I could have waited for the full story before jumping in like that."

Carolyn added, looking apologetic, "It's just that we've been on the defensive because Dad's been playing up. Sorry."

Daniel replied, smiling slightly as Sam pulled Jonas into a hug, "It's ok… water under the bridge. What's a family without a few bust-ups now and then?"

Sam asked as she let Jonas go, "Are you guys coming over later on? We're having the whole gang over."

Jonas and Carolyn smiled as they glanced at each other and then back at their friends, the medic replying, "Sure… we'll come. I'd love to see SG point one again."


	70. Memories

One afternoon, the house empty, everything having been moved over to the new house by themselves along with SG-1 and Jack over the past few weeks, Sam and Daniel stood in their lounge, gazing around themselves as they held their babies, the older twins catching the sombre mood. She smiled a wistful smile across at him and said,

"This house has so many memories… I got it shortly before that first mission. Orlin visited me here… We lived here together after Hippolyta's planet… Nearly four years… they've been the happiest of my entire life."

He gently reached up to caress her cheek, securely holding Claire in his other arm ,and he replied as he gazed at her lovingly, "Mine too. We really are good together, aren't we?"

Leaning over to kiss him gently, she said, grinning, "You bet."

He returned the kiss and then remarked, "I hope the new people don't get the Trust stalking them thinking that they're us in disguise."

"I wouldn't put it past them… yeesh."

They smiled gently, and Sam knelt, carefully holding Jacob, and asked as she smoothed James' hair as his gaze moved to his brother, "James… are you going to miss this house?"

James looked thoughtful for a moment and then asked, looking sad, "Not coming back?"

Sam smiled, tears pricking her eyes as she smoothed the little boy's hair back and replied, "We're not… we're going to stay in the big house we just came from. That's our new house."

She smoothed Cammie's hair too as the little girl frowned and said, "Don't like it."

Sam chuckled, glancing up at an amused Daniel who knelt down next to them and remarked with a fond smile, "You can't stay here by yourself, Cammie."

He added, kissing her cheek, "We're all sad at leaving but we need a bigger house for you, your sister and your brothers. Do you understand now?"

Cammie nodded, not looking happy and James said with a shrug, "'pace Monkey's wor'h it."

Sam and Daniel stared at the little boy in disbelief, and then exchanged a meaningful look, eventually laughing.

'_Oh, that's got to be Jack…_'

'_Well, he likes you… although I get the feeling he was listing the things that drive him up the wall about you before he taught our little boy to say that._'

They stood up, kissing their children, and after the adults had gazed at each other for a moment, they held the older twins' hands and Daniel whispered, the younger twins asleep, "Say bye-bye."

Outside after locking up, standing next to Daniel's car, the Carter-Jacksons looked at the house for one last time, tears in Sam's eyes. They gazed down at the babies in their arms and the toddlers at their feet, and they kissed their babies' cheeks. The Archaeologist said as he gazed at his wife,

"We'll make more memories at our new house."

She replied with an emotional smile, "We better go… General O'Neill threatened to sell up if we're not back by sunset."


	71. Sam's Birthday

_lol. I keep having trouble with thinking of what colours Sam could wear. It's funny because I can almost always see what Daniel's wearing…__: D_

_--------------------_

A couple of weeks later, the considerable backyard of the new Carter-Jackson residence was buzzing with SG-1, Jack, mini-Jack, Sam's scientific colleagues, and the Atlantis expedition members, gathered together to celebrate Sam's forty-fifth birthday.

Sam, holding Cammie's hand, walked through the grass, looking radiant in a light green sundress, and a more relaxed looking Elizabeth, smiling, approached her and kissed her cheeks, saying, "Happy birthday, Sam!"

Sam replied with a smile, quickly hiding her surprise at being greeted like that by the usually reserved former expedition leader, "Thanks, Liz! God, it's so weird."

"Oh, Daniel's all for planning big surprises."

"You'd think that what with knowing him so well, I wouldn't get caught out like this… but he keeps on pulling rabbits."

Elizabeth affectionately smoothed Cammie's hair, smiling down at the now grinning girl, and Sam asked, "Where's Charlotte?"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow briefly and gestured to the other side of the yard where the Atlantis and SG-1 men along with the Jacks were gathered around Sheppard, holding Charlotte, and Daniel, holding Claire. She said, amused,

"Our _boys_ are having a father's version of a urinating contest."

Sam covered her face with her hand briefly and remarked, groaning in disbelief, "Please don't tell me that Shep baited him… Daniel's very stubborn."

'_Hey, he said that he knew more about fathering than me._'

'_Jackson, for crying out loud, if you descend into a punch-up with Shep, I'm zatting the both of you._'

"Tell me about it. Hey… what did Daniel get you?"

Sam shrugged, replying, "I don't know… I'm getting it later apparently."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and Sam rolled her eyes, remarking, "That wasn't how he phrased it."

'_Sheppard's loosened her up… I don't think she would have even dreamt of doing that before._'

'_Daniel… go back to your little competition._'

'_Come on Sam, you would have done it if Liz was holding Charlotte instead._'

'_No, because I don't feel the need to prove myself as a mother... I freely accept that I'm not in the Daniel Jackson league._'

'_Honey, I can't believe you actually think that of me. I suck as a Dad._'

'_No you don't. I suck as a Mom… and a Dad. Now go on, stop listening in._'

'_You started it._'

'_Daniel…_'

Smiling, not least because of her little argument with Daniel, Sam asked Elizabeth, "So… are you guys going to do the Mr and Mrs thing yet?"

'_Oh, I have to listen in now… us guys don't get anywhere near as direct about this sort of thing. __**We**__ could make Teal'c look like the chattiest male in two galaxies._'

'_Jackson… I'm going to say something really rude in a minute and make you blush so much that General O'Neill picks on you again._'

'_Like he needs an excuse…_'

Elizabeth replied, glancing down momentarily, "Oh… we're catching up with the time we missed while you were all out there."

Just then Jennifer and Lorne approached, arm in arm, and the Major said, nodding in greeting, "Colonel… Doctor."

Jennifer said 'hi' to Elizabeth and then pulled Sam into a hug, saying with a grin, "Hey Sam. Happy birthday."

Sam hugged the younger woman back and replied, "Thanks, Jennifer. How are you two doing?"

Jennifer replied, Lorne's arm around her, "Oh, just fine! Great, in fact."

Lorne glanced behind him at the house and said, "This place sure is bigger than your last, Ma'am."

Sam said fondly, "Lorne, we're off-duty – lose the _Ma'am_…"

Lorne replied, embarrassed and a little unsure, "Ok… Sam."

"That's better. Yeah, this house is great."

Jennifer looked down at a now shy looking Cammie, saying 'hello' to her, Lorne too, and Sam remarked, "Oh this young lady isn't really that shy… just wait five minutes – she'll be as stubborn as her Daddy."

'_Hey!_'

'_Quiet you. Our Marty McFly was right – you are the cover model of Stubbornness Oct-Weekly._'

'_Fine… I'll keep my lips to myself._'

Sam smiled as she imagined Daniel pouting, and Jennifer asked as Elizabeth slipped away to rescue her daughter, "Where are your other babies?"

"Oh, well, James is hanging around with Teal'c… Jacob's with General O'Neill, and Claire's a part of Daniel and Shep's plan to prove once and for all who the better Daddy is."

Lorne and Jennifer chuckled right as Carson appeared, hugging Sam and remarking after the customary greeting for the day, "That husband of yours sure knows how to throw parties… and I just love sighting your babies everywhere. Do tell… what has that young man got you?"

Carson stooped to stroke a still shy Cammie's cheek as Sam replied, amused, "I'm going to find out later, apparently."

When Lorne, Jennifer and Carson exchanged odd looks, Sam rolled her eyes and remarked, "I swear, you Atlantis people are all in need of a good laying. Elizabeth almost asked me the same thing."

The trio exchanged embarrassed and surprised looks, Jennifer saying, "Sam… you sound like General O'Neill."

"It's only natural."

"Ah, well… yeah, but, you know…"

Lorne remarked, a touch red, "At least you didn't mention anything that the General did last time… although it would be funny if James showed Doctor McKay his potty again."

Sam chuckled and was about to reply when her eyes shifted to the path down the side of the house, the gate having opened and she gasped, saying in shock, "Cassie."

'_Oh yeah… um, surprise, honey._'

The little group, confused at first, turned in to follow Sam's gaze as Cammie and then James ran excitedly to a slimmer looking Cassie, her sun-bleached hair just brushing her shoulders. Before Cassie could say anything, Sam had pulled the younger woman into a fierce hug, whispering as tears ran down her face, kissing her hair,

"I've missed you so much, Cassie."

Cassie crying too, whispered as she held onto Sam tightly, "I've missed you too, Sam…"

Sam, overcome with emotion, backed away enough to hold the side of Cassie's face, noticing how much she had changed. Pressing her lips together briefly, she whispered,

"You've lost weight."

It was only then that Sam noticed something in the younger woman's eyes, something that she had seen many a-time during the Goa'uld era at the SGC in the eyes of newer recruits that hadn't seen so much devastation and bloodshed before. Horrified that someone that she felt that she was meant to protect from everything bad had been exposed to the unspeakable, she whispered,

"Oh God, Cassie… what happened?"

Cassie shook her head, her gaze steady as she said, "It's your birthday, Sam."

Sam hugged her again, gently rubbing the young woman's back, and she whispered, "You can stay here for as long as you want, ok? I'm not having you by yourself. We've got two spare rooms now."

Cassie nodded, whispering back, "Thanks, Sam."

They parted, each drying their own eyes, and Sam asked, smiling brightly as Cassie said 'hello' to the twins, "Do you want to see the latest additions to the Carter-Jackson family tree?"

Cassie blinked in surprise and asked as she picked up James, "You had another… wait, babies!?"

Sam nodded as Daniel stepped forward with Claire, having gathered with SG-1 and the Jacks around the two women with most of the party, and Jack handed Jacob to Sam before hugging Cassie. Sam said, smiling down at the baby in her arms,

"This is Jacob Christopher, and that is Claire Jacqueline."

Cassie grinned as Daniel handed her Claire, and then asked, confused, "Wait, when did you get the time to make babies? You were out in…"

She glanced around at her surroundings, making sure that it was safe, and then continued, "Atlantis. What's going on?"

Sam and Daniel exchanged a little glance, and the former replied, a touch embarrassed, "So much to tell you… I was pregnant out there."

Cassie's eyes widened in shock and then she chuckled, remarking to a very embarrassed Daniel, "Daniel… honestly. You and Sam kept hinting about _me_ being responsible…"

'_Ha, Daniel – she's got you there._'

'_You too._'

'_Ah yes, but it is your fault – you knocked me up._'

'_Saaam!_'

Cassie then turned around and asked, looking at Elizabeth and Sheppard eventually, "Hey… um, where's your baby?"

Elizabeth and Sheppard gazed at each other for a moment before they approached the younger woman, the latter showing them Charlotte, saying with a proud smile, catching Daniel's gaze for a moment, "Charlotte Danielle Weir-Sheppard… named after Elizabeth's mother and Jackson. She's four months."

Cassie, carefully holding Claire in one arm, stroked the other baby's cheek, saying with a little smile, "Hello… I knew you when you were inside your Mom."

Sheppard slipped an arm around Elizabeth's waist, and after Sam had handed Jacob to Cassie, assuring and reassuring her that she wasn't going to drop the babies, they all went to eat, laughing and joking at the Archaeologist's expense.

--------------------

Evening, after dinner, everyone danced in pairs to the softly playing music, the sounds mingling with the fragrant, dusky air and the sounds of laughter and small talk. Sam, her head rested on Daniel's shoulder as they danced together slowly, smiled on watching an infinitely happier and relieved looking Cassie go past with Teal'c, the older twins playing with Ronon, having grumpily told his friends that he didn't want to dance, despite their cajoling and persuasion.

Cam, his arms around Vala, sat together in the grass near Ronon with the younger twins and Charlotte, happily watching the dancing, the latter not feeling up to it due to her condition, and the former not wanting to dance with anyone but his wife.

Sam whispered in Daniel's ear as he kissed her neck, "We're all together and so happy. One big happy family. It's beautiful."

"It is… although Jack should have brought Sara. He was worried that something classified would come out as it did when Cassie came… but that's beside the point."

'_Well, we do have four aliens in our back yard._'

'_True… but Teal'c could have worn a hat, and Jonas, Ronon and Teyla already know how to act in front of someone __**not**__ in the know._'

They sighed happily, and she whispered, "This is great… we never danced at our wedding."

'_That was because of the little, uh, __soirée__ on base._'

She chuckled softly, remarking silently, '_Ha, you used a filler during a telepathic conversation._'

'_It was deliberate._'

He kissed her ear, and whispered, "How's your hand?"

'_It's fine… you healed yourself and the bruise went on mine. You're lucky we all know that you have powers._'

'_Cassie doesn't know. We're going to have to tell her at one point._'

'_We will._'

They smiled at Lorne and Jennifer floating by, Lorne calling with a grin, "Great party, Jackson!"

Sheppard, spinning by with Elizabeth, added with a smirk, "Not bad for a geek."

Elizabeth chuckled, remarking, "You would say that… you forget that we know about the Mensa puzzles."

Sheppard rolled his eyes and then kissed her as they moved away, and Sam gazed up at Daniel, remarking with a fond smile that lit up her face, "You are far from being a geek, Daniel."

They smiled at Radek and Teyla, the Athosian calling, "This has been far more enjoyable than any Earth custom I have experienced on Atlantis. Thank you, Doctor Jackson."

Daniel nodded with a smile, embarrassed, replying, "Um, thanks…"

His gaze then followed Sam's surprised one on seeing McKay with Carson, the Canadian surprisingly not looking awkward as the two talked quietly. Sam and Daniel smiled as their gazes returned to each other's, the former saying silently,

'_Well, I have to say, it's a surprise… you don't think…?_'

She rested her head on his shoulder, replying with a little smile, '_It happens. They had a daughter in that timeline._'

He, after knowing Jack for so long, managed to look nonchalant, but he said, surprised, '_They had… Wait, Carson can have babies!?!_'

She smiled against his shoulder and replied, '_Apparently so._'

'_I have to say I'm surprised._'

'_I'll say… come on, it isn't that big. Carson's a woman... and the Asgard were millions of light years ahead of us in everything but having babies of their own._'

He smiled briefly and kissed her ear, whispering in her ear as he sighted the others being out of earshot, "Jack used to say that the reason they were so far ahead was because the time they could have spent, ahem, doing the wild thing, they spent shacked up in their labs."

She laughed, not only because of Jack's unconventional humour, but also because of her husband reddening on saying something rude, and Cam called from the side as Vala grinned, the Jacks looking surprised and then disappointed that neither of them had got there first,

"Jackson, you dog!"

--------------------

Later that night, both sets of twins in their own rooms, Cassie in one of the spares, Sam lay in bed, waiting for Daniel. Still unable to believe how things had turned out, she clutched the sheets to her with a little smile, snuggling up to his side of the bed.

The door eventually opened quietly, Daniel appearing, closing the door behind him. He said with a soft smile,

"Hey."

"Hey… sleeping?"

"Like several bugs in rugs."

She chuckled and watched as he took his pyjama bottoms off and joined her on the bed. He wrapped an arm around her waist and they kissed. When they parted, both of them dazed, she remarked, blinking slowly,

"That… wow, I wish we were in the business of regularly hiding from our friends."

He stroked her cheek, amused as he replied, "Oh Sam… we hid quite a few times. Sheppard's face on catching us kissing in the kitchen was priceless."

She snickered, saying as she stroked his jaw, "He was all set to ask about orange juice when his jaw dropped… and then General O'Neill came in to laugh at us with his, ahem, long-lost nephew… and Cam and Jonas."

He laughed as he held her closer, and then he remarked, his eyes closed briefly, "I don't think enough is ever going to be enough for us two."

"You bet."

He stroked her shoulder thoughtfully, and she asked, gazing up at him, her hand on his chest, "So… what was the thing you were going to give me _later_?"

--------------------

Sam and Daniel walked hand-in-hand along a beach which seemed strangely familiar to her but he wouldn't say anything. Frowning slightly, she said, gazing around herself,

"It seems like I know this place… oh."

Her frown instantly faded and she looked at him in surprise, saying, now scared, "Daniel?"

He kissed her gently and whispered, looking past her, "Happy birthday, Samantha."

Confused, she turned to meet his gaze and her eyes widened in shock, and she gasped on seeing her mother kneeling next to her child self, studding a sandcastle with shells as a surprisingly younger looking Jacob ran with a slightly older looking boy, both males greatly resembling James, sailing a kite in the cloudless vibrant sky.

Tears ran down Sam's face on seeing her parents, how close she had been to her mother, and she felt Daniel's arm around her waist. He drew her closer and replied, resting his cheek against her hair,

"You look a lot like Mom."

She held onto him tighter, whispering, "Daniel… thank you."

He caressed her back and replied, gazing down at her, "You haven't seen anything yet."

She frowned in confusion and then gasped in surprise when she turned to see Grace approaching them. Sam asked, scared,

"Daniel… she can't see us, right?"

Daniel smiled slightly as Grace stopped in front of them, saying with a little smile, "My little Sammy's all grown up."

Sam, scared out of her head, asked as she stared at her dead mother, "Daniel?"

Still holding her, he replied, "Dad and Lilith helped me create a simulation of Mom built from you memories, and little bits from Dad."

Nodding slowly, she continued to stare at her mother, who gently hugged her, saying, "I'm so proud of you, what you have become... I love you."

Sam wept in her mother's hold, whispering, "I've missed you, Mom."

Grace's fingers ran through Sam's hair as she replied, "I never left you. I was with you every step of the way, and I am so proud… so proud. To think that a daughter of mine made Colonel in the Air Force and is in charge of a combat team, as well as holding a PhD in Astrophysics…"

She laughed and continued, "You were always looking at the stars. No-one else saw what you saw but you were so fascinated, telling us their names, the names of the constellations, and the stories behind them. I think we learnt more about Astronomy during one month in the Blue Ridge Mountains than all of us put together learnt at school. You were so enthusiastic, so passionate, and you still are. My beautiful Sammy."

--------------------

Back in reality, Sam gasped as her eyes opened and she began to cry again, whispering as she hugged Daniel, burying her face in his chest, "Thank you."

He kissed her gently and said, caressing her cheek, tears in his own eyes, picking up on her emotions, "You are so welcome, Sam."

They kissed again and she remarked, shaking her head slightly in disbelief, "You really know how to pull surprises, don't you?"

He blushed and she grinned at him in amusement before rolling over so that she was on top of him. He kissed her, caressing her hair and neck, and he whispered, groaning,

"Happy birthday, Sam."

She kissed him, smiling happily as she said, "It sure is. Thank you."

His fingers caressed the skin beneath her t-shirt, asking silently, '_Tonight_?'

She smoothed his stomach, remarking in amusement, '_We've been holding out all day. I think we might have gone pretty far if Shep hadn't shown up in the kitchen… or Jonas later on._'

They grinned at each other before he proceeded to make love to her, giving her the final part of her birthday present in the form of showing her a purely breathtaking fraction of the true depths of his feelings for her, both of them feeling everything that the other felt.


	72. Physicists, and Decisions

The older twins running around in the grass in front of them, Sam and McKay sat on the front porch, the babies lying in a cot next to them. She glancing at the Physicist and asked, smiling slightly,

"How are you and Carson going?"

He immediately looked defensive, his posture rigid and she said, reaching over to gently pat his knee, "Oh, it was so obvious last month at my birthday… and then yesterday at Cam's…"

She sat back and continued, her eyebrows rising briefly, "So… spill."

He glanced at her and then exhaled, relaxing back into his seat as he said with a shrug, "I suppose you could say that it's going _somewhere_ although quite where, neither of us are quite sure."

He squirmed a little as he continued, "I know Carson's technically a woman now… but it just feels a little weird."

She replied, "Don't let that stop you. You liked Carson because he understood you. Katie understood you too, but with Carson, it was deeper. He'd known you for longer and you just clicked despite your hubris."

He looked at her in indignation and she smiled, continuing, "She's still the same person. True, she's not a man any more but she exhibits everything we loved about him. If you're in love…"

"Whoa! I never said anything about _love_!"

"Oh come on, McKay – I'm not stupid despite your estimations of my abilities as a scientist, soldier and human being!"

He looked at her, stunned, and she ducked her head briefly before saying with a shrug, "As I was saying… if you're in love, you see the person within… everything else doesn't matter."

He let out an explosive breath and said, straightening up, "Ok, tell me this… if we were in an alternate universe, which we've both had the chance to experience, and your Archaeologist was a woman…"

She chuckled briefly, saying, "Funnily enough, we broached this topic a while back."

Surprised, he asked, "You did?"

She nodded and replied with a shrug, "We would have still fallen for each other. I fell in love with his soul. He's such a beautiful man, inside and out… he's definitely what _you_ would call an artist. If he'd been a woman, or if we'd both been men, I think it could still have happened. Daniel's pretty open-minded."

He remarked, deflated, "That certainly knocked my point for six."

He looked at her and asked, "You would have been gay?"

She shook her head and replied, "It has nothing to do with sexuality, McKay. His soul transcends everything."

He let out a long breath and remarked, "That's a pretty big concept."

She smiled briefly and then asked, "Are you going up to see Jeannie?"

He paused, watching Cammie boss James about, and he said, his gaze eventually moving back to hers, "I suppose we will."

"Good luck. I know Jeannie will just love Carson… and, let's face it, no-one other than the people involved in the mountain know who Carson really is."

"That's a plus point."

After a long pause, he asked, "How come I haven't heard you play on the piano?"

Bemused, she replied, "I suck at it… it's Daniel's. I haven't heard him play that much – he's pretty shy about it in front of me. He's a beautiful player though."

She smiled wistfully as she remembered seeing Daniel as a young boy, and he said, impressed, "He looks like he would be… You have to have him play for us at the next mountain _shindig_."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The babies began to cry and she leaned over their cot, shushing them and then checked their nappies. Frowning slightly, she whispered, talking more to herself,

"Ok… are you hungry?"

He rolled his eyes and said, "Obviously… you fed them four hours ago."

Surprised, she looked at him and he said with a shrug, "I know baby-theory… just not baby-practical."

She chuckled as she lifted up Jacob, unfastening a button on her shirt as the Physicist looked at her, aghast and embarrassed. She whispered down to Claire, stroking her cheek as her cries lessened into whimpers,

"Sssh… I'll get to you in a minute."

She began to feed Jacob as the Canadian looked away out of politeness, remarking as he shielded his eyes, "Jesus… aren't you supposed to use a bottle now? They're three months!"

Smirking, she remarked, "Relax, McKay. As strange as this is going to sound, I trust you. Anyway, there's nothing to see… Jake's pretty much covering that part."

She laughed quietly as he looked increasingly embarrassed, and she gazed down at the baby in her arms, whispering as she stroked his cheek, McKay going behind her to pick Claire up, "It's fun to embarrass Uncle Rod."

--------------------

An hour later, while two very satisfied babies slept, much to their mother's amusement, said mother sensed her husband's approach. She smiled slightly, careful not to say anything and then looked up on seeing Daniel's car pull up in the driveway to their left alongside her car.

'_Hey honey… have I got news for you… Guess who's in charge now._'

'_Go on, who?_'

'_Patience my fair Guinevere._'

The older twins excitedly ran up to their father as he approached the porch, the Archaeologist picking them both up in turn, kissing them and then going to see his wife. He patted McKay on the shoulder, saying,

"Hey Rodney, how are you?"

McKay replied, still looking a little flustered, "Fine thanks."

'_Sam? Why am I sensing embarrassment and fear from him?_'

'_You're going to love the story… I'll tell you a little later._'

Daniel, sensing an example of Sam's sense of humour, smiled as he leaned down to kiss her, saying as he caressed her face, "Missed you so much at work."

Sam smiled up at him, sending him a mental hug as he kneeled to look at the babies. He stroked their cheeks and then smiled on seeing their round stomachs, remarking,

"They look fed."

As McKay looked increasingly awkward, Sam rolling her eyes at him, she replied in amusement, "Just like their Daddy."

Everyone standing, Daniel gazed down at his wife and said with a little smile, "Guess who's going to be in charge."

Sam rolled her eyes and remarked, inwardly concerned that she couldn't read him, "Come on Daniel… what am I, psychic?!"

He smiled at the irony, and McKay asked, "Who is it? Is it Elizabeth… or General O'Neill again?"

Daniel shook his head, glancing at the Physicist briefly, and then he replied, "I'm still in charge overall but Reynolds has gone back to SG-3… The military commander is… you… or rather will be if you accept the President's offer."

Sam blinked in surprise as McKay looked increasingly sceptical, and she had to sit down, overcome with it all as she was. McKay asked,

"Sam's basically in charge?"

Daniel nodded and perched on the arm of Sam's chair, his arm around her. He kissed the top of her head and said,

"I'm back on SG-1. You're still in charge of the team."

She held her head in her hands and said, shocked, "I'm essentially in command?"

He nodded and replied as he smoothed her hair, "I can't think of anyone more qualified… and neither could the President, the NID and the IOA. You deserve this Sam."

He gently lifted her out of her chair, sitting down in it as he gathered her into his arms, holding her close as she began to cry. McKay looked awkward before throwing his hands down and then deciding to sit on the front step and watch the twins, remarking to himself about immortal Whitelighter Archaeologists and Air Force Astrophysicists and their lifelong goals to make him feel awkward.

Daniel whispered silently, his eyes closed as he kissed her hair, '_It's was always the plan… Reynolds was just warming your place… and to be honest, he's nowhere near as good a kisser as you are._'

Sam smiled at his as she rested her head on his chest, remarking, '_Typical… just when my back is turned, you go kissing another Air Force officer… what's General O'Neill going to say?!_'


	73. Cassie

Sam, standing as she burped Claire, remarked silently to Daniel with a little smile as he sat, holding Jacob, Cammie and James playing noisily on the floor, '_It could work… After all, it's like a big family at the mountain… and besides, you need someone to drag you home kicking and screaming._'

'_Oh right, sure, honey… you __**have**__ to follow orders whereas I __**choose**__ to follow them…_'

'… w_henever you feel like it._'

He chuckled quietly, retorting, '_Ah well, that's my secret out._'

She laughed, remarking, '_That's your secret?!_'

'_Well, you see, Colonel, not everyone had the privilege of doing the wild thing on the backseat._'

She blushed, retorting, '_I seem to remember a certain Archaeologist in the kitchen._'

'_Flattery will get you nowhere._'

'_Ah, you read my mind…_'

'_Well, duh, fellow telepath._'

They grinned at each other, and then looked towards the doorway to the hall on hearing the front door open. They exchanged a glance as Cassie came in and the Hankan was all ready to run upstairs when Sam said, worried,

"Cassie. Come here a sec."

Daniel frowned slightly but quickly concealed it when he sensed darkness and pain from the younger woman, and he said silently to Sam, '_Tread softly… I'm still pickingup a lot of pain from her._'

Sam nodded imperceptibly as Cassie hesitantly sat next to Daniel on the couch, subdued as she looked at Jacob. Sam and Daniel exchanged a little glance over her head before the Archaeologist said, turning towards the older twins,

"Cammie, James… come on, Daddy's going exploring."

Sam chuckled softly as the children leapt up excitedly, Cammie saying as James danced, "'plorin'!"

Sam remarked, rolling her eyes, "Well, they're going to be Archaeologists alright."

Daniel, still holding Jacob, ushered the elder twins into the kitchen and then he came back to kiss his wife, whispering as he held her gaze for a moment, his free arm around her, "I'll be out back, ok?"

Sam smiled slightly, replying quietly as she caressed his neck, "I got it."

'… _I think she's going to need this._'

'_Do you want me to take Claire?_'

'_Don't be silly, Daniel… I seriously don't know how you're going to look out for Jake as well as the chamber choir.'_

'_Well, you see, I have these powers…_'

Sam, trying very hard not to laugh, patted him on the shoulder and said, doing a good job of looking sober, "Go on."

With a lingering gaze, he left, saying silently, '_Call if you need me._'

Sam held Claire in her arms as she curled up in Daniel's place next to Cassie and asked, noting that the younger woman's gaze had fallen to her lap, "Cassie, what's wrong? You've barely said anything for over a month which worries me."

Cassie shook her head, her gaze still fallen, and Sam just watched her, gently rocking Claire, giving her an opportunity to release her load. Eventually, Cassie sighed and said in a quiet voice, her head still down,

"There was just so much suffering… I was in a Somali refugee camp at Christmas and a woman died in childbirth. The nearest Doctor had been struck down by malaria and the nearest one after that was in Mogadishu. I couldn't save her. If she was here, she would have had a blood transfusion and she and the baby would have lived…"

As she talked, her body trembled with sobs that grew in force, the younger woman looking even more fragile than she already had. Sam quickly put a gurgling Claire into her cot, the young Carter-Jackson gazing at the ceiling, her fist in her mouth, and the Astrophysicist, tears in her eyes, whispered as she pulled Cassie into her arms,

"Oh God, Cassie. I never knew. I…"

Cassie sobbed in Sam's embrace, and Sam ran her fingers through the younger woman's hair, continuing as she sniffed back her own tears in vain, "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault, honey. You couldn't have done anything."

"I could have saved her, Sam. I could have saved her and the baby… there must have been something. It is my fault and I'll never ever forgive myself… just like…"

Cassie trailed off, closing her eyes tightly and Sam, gazing down at her, asked, worried, "Cassie? What is it?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit."

After a long pause, Cassie whispered, "I… I had a miscarriage in January."

Horrified, Sam whispered, "Oh God."

'_Oh… she is definitely not moving out, ever if she goes Janet on us._'

'_Like that needed saying, Daniel… I… I can't imagine what she must have gone through. I should have been there for her instead of all those light years away._'

'_Honey, you couldn't have done anything. She's a grown woman._'

'_I know, but it… oh God, I know I sometimes wish I had Cammie earlier, and obviously under much better circumstances, but this… I really can't imagine what she must be going through._'

Sam hugged her tighter and asked gently, "Whose baby was it?"

Cassie replied in a whisper, resting her cheek on Sam's shoulder, "He was a junior Doctor from Quebec… François. We met in Free Town in November."

"Does he know?"

"He doesn't care… he broke up with me the night before I miscarried. I didn't even know the baby was inside of me. I should have known. I was feeling sick and dizzy but I thought it was the heat. I should have known. I killed my baby."

"Oh no, honey… God no, it wasn't your fault."

After a long crying filled pause, Cassie remarked with a rueful chuckle, "It feels weird telling someone… I've kept it to myself since it happened."

Tears running down her face, Sam gently kissed Cassie's hair, whispering, "You shouldn't have, Cassie. You really shouldn't have. I wish you could have told me much earlier… I wish it hadn't happened."

"I'm dealing with it… it's just so hard."

"You shouldn't have to do it alone."

Sam closed her eyes as she remembered Daniel telling her similar words after SG-1 had brought Cassie back to the SGC thirteen years previously and Sam had bonded with her more than anyone else had. She smoothed Cassie's hair, continuing, "I'll always be here for you… just don't shut me out."

Cassie sniffed, replying as she straightened up, drying her tears and looking broken, "Thank you Sam. You don't know what that means to me… I've always been able to tell you anything."

Sam affectionately caressed her cheek, remarking as she dried her own tears, "Yes you have… and as strange as this may sound, I've always been able to tell you things too."

Cassie joked with a chuckle, "Oh, I'm so jealous of Daniel."

"_I'm_ so jealous of Daniel… have you seen how much attention the man gets? He never sees it for what it is."

"Ah, but I've seen him after you stroke his ego… he's even cuter than usual… which is a _lot_ of cute."

The two women laughed, and Daniel silently remarked, almost pouting, '_Will you stop making fun of me?_'

'_Daniel… you really are cuter than cute._'

Sam said to Cassie, "Anytime you need to talk, you know where I am, ok? _Anytime._"

Cassie nodded, her head bowed, and Sam continued, touching the younger woman's chin to make her look up again, "I'll be there every step of the way."

--------------------

Facing each other on their bed later that night, their hands rested on the other's hip, Sam said, her eyes showing an inordinate amount of worry, '_She's so hurt… She shouldn't have had to go through that_.'

'_I wouldn't mind getting my hands on __François__ of Quebec to knock him senseless._'

Surprised by the vehement words and the fiery glint in Daniel's eyes, she kissed him, replying, '_Me too, but that wouldn't help anything. God, it's so weird. It seems like only yesterday she was a little girl who had lost her family, and now she's travelling overseas as a Doctor… and she's got a love life._'

'_She'll be alright… we just have to stop her from shutting down like that General we all know._'

'_I don't think she's going to be comfortable talking to you, especially about the miscarriage…_'

'_I know… she's got you for that. I don't want her thinking she's alone or a burden. We've got plenty room and she's more than welcome to stay for as long as she wants._'

'_I told her that. She didn't fight… which is another thing that worries me.'_

His fingers caressed the skin beneath her t-shirt as he replied'_We'll get her through this, Sam. She's part of our family just like our quartet._'

Tears welling in her eyes, she whispered before kissing him, "She is."


	74. MalDoran Mitchell Junior

In mid-December, Sam and Daniel planned their Christmas party with the rest of SG-1 and Vala's visiting in-laws, hoping to have it before a very heavily pregnant Vala was due to give birth. Just as the Archaeologist ducked his head in embarrassment due in no small part to nonchalantly Teal'c suggesting that he and Sam should come up with better hiding places, Vala suddenly gasped, clutching the edge of the table as she closed her eyes.

All eyes moved to her, Daniel glancing at Sam worriedly, Wendy looking at Frank as the Astrophysicist and Cam instantly held the alien's hands, Cam asking as he smoothed her bump with his other hand, "Baby, what's wrong?"

Whimpering quietly, she replied through gritted teeth, "My amniotic sac has just ruptured."

Sam looked down to see a pool of clear liquid on the kitchen floor, a spooked Jonas backing away quickly, and she said, grabbing the phone, "Ok Vala, relax. Keep on breathing."

Vala cried out, saying as Cam held her in his arms, "It's happening far too quickly…"

She opened her eyes as Sam quickly talked to Carolyn over the phone, and said, looking up at her husband, "Cameron… the baby's coming now. It's not going to wait for Carolyn."

Daniel was all set to get up when Frank took charge of the situation, kneeling by Vala's chair as he asked Jonas to bring some towels, Wendy a bowl of warm water and a pair of scissors. Meeting his son's gaze for a moment, the two Mitchell men moved Vala to the floor, a returning Jonas smoothing her hair as he sat by her side, Cam sat holding her between his legs, kissing her forehead as Teal'c walked past them to corral the Carter-Jackson quartet upstairs.

As Daniel looked worried, Wendy replied quietly, watching the scene unfold, worried nonetheless, "Frank knows what he's doing, Daniel. He brought Cam and Fred into the world when they each decided to make their entrances a little earlier than planned."

The Archaeologist nodded and knelt down next to the elder Mitchell, ready to help if needed. Jonas wiped her face with a damp flannel as Cam held her firmly, worried but wanting to support his wife. Sam, on the other side of the alien from Jonas, held her hand, whispering words of encouragement as Vala screamed in pain.

'_Honey, I know we don't believe in destiny, but didn't you say that this kid was named Francis in that other timeline?_'

'_It's spooky. It's like he… or she is destined to have Grandpa Mitchell present at the birth._'

Cam whispered words of encouragement as Frank said, inwardly worried, having never brought a grandchild into the world before, "Vala, I'm gonna ask you to push in a minute. Not yet. When I tell you, I want you to give me a big push. Can you do that?"

Vala, whimpering in pain, nodded and whispered, "It's going to take a concerted effort, but I'll get to it."

After a little silence, Frank patted Vala's knee and said, "Push!"

Vala screamed in pain and effort as she pushed, her friends and in-laws encouraging her. After a lot of pushing, screaming and a crash course in Goa'uld swearing, Frank peeped down below and smiled slightly, and Daniel said silently to his wife,

'_Honey, I can see the head of our nephew or niece._'

'_How I envy you._'

'_No you don't._'

'_Damn this empathy._'

Frank said with a smile, Daniel wiping the sweat from the older man's brow with a towel, "Vala, you are doing so well, girl… now I want you to give me a really big push. Just one and then you can get some rest after a bit."

Vala nodded, panting, and Cam kissed her forehead, whispering, "So proud of you, baby."

As Carolyn arrived, apologising for her tardiness due to a traffic accident, Vala screamed as she gave one heck of a push, before flopping back down on the pillow, whispering tiredly, "I am definitely not going through this again, Cameron."

Carolyn knelt down next to her husband, satisfied that Frank knew what he was doing, Daniel by his side, the medic unable to safely get to the delivery end. Frank reached down to support the new arrival's neck and back as it slid out. The two fathers smiled as the baby took its first breath, screaming. A stunned Jonas budged over to let Carolyn pass to check the baby out after Daniel had snipped the umbilical cord, the two men giving the baby a wash.

'_Ok… Vala just christened our kitchen… and not in __**that**__way._'

Sam smiled at Daniel as she continued to hold Vala's hand, and then she looked across at Cam who kissed his wife's temple, whispering, looking very much overcome, "We're a Mom and Dad."

As Daniel and Frank cleaned up at their end, Carolyn wrapped up the baby in a towel and said to Cam as she handed the baby to him, "Congratulations Cam… you've got a baby boy."

Cam, amazed, held his wife in one arm and his son in his other arm, and looked absolutely overcome. He gently kissed the baby's forehead, whispering,

"Hey there, Mal Doran-Mitchell Junior."

He then kissed Vala, who said weakly, closing her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder, "I think we should name our little boy after his Grandpa and his Uncle… what do you think?"

He kissed her again and replied with a grin, his father and Daniel looking embarrassed, "That's a great idea, baby… Francis Daniel Mal Doran-Mitchell."

--------------------

As Vala slept in the spare room, absolutely exhausted, Cam wandered around the lower floor with his new son, grinning all the while. Wendy hugged her son, saying with a smile as she gazed down at the baby, "He looks just like you did and he's got beautiful dark hair like his Mommy. That is one hell of a cute baby… but he takes after Daddy… yes you do…"

Cam blushed in embarrassment, rolling his eyes as Teal'c and Sam smirked at him, and then Cassie appeared, having been out during the mêlée. Sam quickly approached her, saying, her face flushed, "You missed the action – Vala had her baby."

Confused, Cassie asked, "What, now?"

Daniel replied, his arm around Sam's waist, "Just two hours ago, in fact."

Cassie smiled after a little hesitation, saying, "That's great! Oh wow…"

Cam approached, saying with that never fading grin, "Hey Cass… I'm a Daddy. This little man is Francis Daniel."

Cassie stroked the baby's cheek affectionately, and she asked, "How's Vala doing?"

Frank remarked, "She's gone into hibernation after all that cussing. She did a great job."

Wendy added, leaning her head on her husband's shoulder, "That was pretty tame."

"Aw, honey… that's pretty accurate."

Everyone exchanged glances as Cam looked down at his son for a moment, and Cassie asked, "Can I go see her? She's probably feeling lonely what with all the action being down here."

Sam replied with a little smile, "Just check if she's awake first."


	75. Festive Epilogue

_Lyrics featured eventually are Your Song by Elton John. I've had this SongFic idea in my head for ages, and would have got it out sooner if I hadn't been impeded. Anyway, this is the last chapter… it has been one long road hasn't it? Don't worry, Emerald City isn't in sight yet – I'm going to eventually write a sequel to this to explore the babies more as well as Daniel's powers. I've been getting so into this that I feel as though it's real to a certain extent… It's definitely going to feel like the end of an era when I'm done._

_Thank you so much for the kind reviews, story alerts, and story favourites… it's just been so great to know that there are people reading this regularly and that you're still interested in it. Thank you._

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Early evening on Christmas day, the Carter-Jackson residence was full to the brim of SG-1, the Atlantis personnel, Sara, the Jacks, most of the SGC personnel, Landry, Uncle George, and of course, the various babies born that year and the first set of Carter-Jackson twins. Sam emerged, laughing from the kitchen where Ferretti was attempting to chat up Cassie and Captain Hailey; carrying a plate of mince pies.

Mini-Jack wandered around with mistletoe, raising an eyebrow at each eligible female, and receiving quite a few kisses, much to his older self's envy. He passed by Sam, remarking as he held the sprig above her head,

"Hey Carter… how about it?"

Sam laughed out loud, remarking as she glanced at Sheppard and Elizabeth sitting together rather intimately, Cammie sitting in the latter's lap, "Gee, well, my husband's around here somewhere. I'm sure you wouldn't want him kicking your ass."

Much to Jack's amusement, mini-Jack shot back, "Pfft, I could take on Daniel. Where do you think he learnt to do that in the first place?!"

'_Teal'c would total that little tyke… although for some reason, I get the feeling he'd enjoy beating up Mitchell a lot more. Him and Jack have that whole buddy thing going on. Let's say we remind our Jaffa friend about Minnesota._'

"What about _Murray_?"

"Hey, we were talking about me! Now come on."

She chuckled and then kissed him on the cheek, the younger man remarking as their friends cheered, "Carter, that was polite."

She retorted, making everyone cheer louder, "Well, I'm saving up the risqué ones."

'_Gee, Colonel, I can't wait…_'

Mini-Jack made to lean in again when she, smiling mischievously, crammed a mince pie into his mouth, the entire room erupting in taunts and cheers.

'_Whoa, I'm definitely glad I married you now._'

'_Only now?!_'

Smiling secretively, she walked past several seated guests, including Lorne and a pregnant Jennifer, Cam and Vala, Jack holding Francis and kissing Sara, McKay with his arm around Carson showing Ronon how to use a cracker, Teyla discussing Jaffa and Athosian tactics with Teal'c in the Goa'uld that she had recently picked up at the mountain, Radek and Uncle George with Charlotte and Jacob… and Daniel with James and Claire, talking in Russian with one of the Russian SG team leaders.

Daniel stood up and kissed her, whispering as she picked Claire up, kissing a grinning James on the cheek, the Jacks and Reynolds cheering, "Merry Christmas, honey."

Sam, smiling initially, replied, "It is… we're altogether… although Mark refused to come."

"It doesn't matter."

He gently moved her hair from her face, a fond smile on his face, and then he kissed her again, ignoring the cheers and catcalls from their friends.

'_This is way better than last Christmas._'

Gazing at him as she sensed the memories of pain, she replied, '_I can feel it. I wish I hadn't been away for so long._'

'_It doesn't matter. All that matters is the here and now, and right here and now, I have my wonderful wife, our children and our family all under one roof._'

She sat down next to him, his arm around her as she leaned into his embrace, already liking this Christmas a lot better than _any_ that she had ever experienced, when Jack called, standing up, "Right come on, Dannyboy… there's a piano there gathering dust and I _know_ you play when you think you're all alone."

Sam grinned at her now embarrassed husband, and she rested her hand on his thigh, his hand covering hers, and he asked James, "What do you think, Junior? Do you want Daddy to play the piano?"

James, much to his parents' amusement as Cammie clambered out of Elizabeth's hold and into her mother's, pursed his lips in thought and then said, beaming as Cassie emerged from the kitchen, "'pace monkey's good."

Daniel looked at Sam who remarked fondly as she smoothed his hair back, "He's got you there… nearly four years old and he's already got your powers of persuasion… and General O'Neill's oddball sense of humour."

Jack remarked, his eyebrows raised as Sam bounced Cammie and Claire on her knees, "It's funny how you insult me and still use my title."

"It's the same reason why you call me Carter, Sir."

Jack remarked, making Sara laugh out loud, "Ah yes, but that's so it doesn't offset my overwhelming coolness."

Looking back at his ex-wife, Jack continued, "What, I'm not cool!? Come on, I'm easily the coolest person in this room."

Sheppard called as everyone laughed, rolling their eyes, "Now, now Sir, I didn't think you'd want to insult Ronon, Teyla and, uh, Murray – those three are way cooler than the lot of us put together."

"Ah, I wouldn't say that… I knew an Archaeologist once… he was a pain in the ass…"

Daniel, embarrassed, rolled his eyes as he said, "Jaaaack!"

James chipped in his two cents with, "Uncle Yak," which made everyone laugh again, Sara remarking as she tapped her nose, "Sweetheart, that's because he doesn't wash… let that be a lesson to you."

Jack raised his eyebrows at a nonchalant Sara, and then remarked, "And you love me for it."

"You could put it that way."

Jack asked Teal'c, using their code name for Ish'ta, "Hey, how come you didn't bring Jerry along?"

Teal'c replied, his back straight, "She did not wish to come."

Jonas remarked with a grin, Carolyn's hand on his knee, "Grandpa Murray had a domestic."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow at him, and Cam remarked as Vala raised an eyebrow in barely concealed mirth, "Murray, my man, you've never heard of the term, 'your wife is always right', have you?"

Daniel remarked as Jonas nodded, Jack looking nonchalant as Sara laughed, "Oh… that's my whole life."

Everyone laughed, and Sam nudged him, retorting with a grin as he looked at her with a smirk, "And don't you forget it."

'_I think we're fairly democratic as far as couples go, don't you, Gwen?_'

'_I can't remember the last time we had a row… ok, it was a misunderstanding._'

'_How was I supposed to know that you would have jumped to fifteen different conclusions within five seconds… and besides, that's sorted – we did it pretty quickly.'_

'_Oh, we're cool.'_

'_Either that or there's something wrong with us.'_

She leaned her head on his shoulder as he held her hand, Cammie kissing Claire on the cheek, and Jack remarked with a clap of his hands as Cassie perched on the arm of the couch nearest to Sam, "Come on, up and at 'em… you're not getting out of this anytime soon. Piano."

Daniel rolled his eyes as Cam, the Jacks, Sheppard, Lorne and Cassie all started clapping slowly and chanting, and Sam remarked, grinning, "Oh, that's your cue, Galahad. Go on."

Daniel closed his eyes, bright red, and Jack remarked with a shrug, "Your wife and CO has spoken… Don't make me bring in _Uncle_ George."

Daniel, still embarrassed, said quietly, "I'm not that good."

As everyone looked at him sceptically, Uncle George, holding a gurgling Jacob, said with a little smile, "Your piano playing is legendary, Daniel."

Mini-Jack remarked, "In a good way apparently. Let's hope it isn't a pain in the ass like the rest of him."

Cassie said, smiling as Sam grinned up at her, "You'll be getting a pain in the ass quite soon if you keep putting Daniel down."

After one more round of cheering, Sam encouraged Daniel to stand up and Elizabeth asked, "What are you going to play?"

Picking up Jacob and gently kissing him on the cheek, Daniel replied as he sat down, a boy on each knee, his eyes moving to his wife for a moment, "It's a surprise."

Sam, disturbed that she couldn't read him, frowned slightly and then asked, "It isn't classical, is it?"

Daniel, smiling secretively, shook his head and then looked down at his sons, asking, "You won't know it either."

James grinned up at him, saying, "Silly Daddy," as everyone laughed, and Daniel took a deep breath, lifting James to sit on top of the piano, his back resting against the wall, and then began to play as a stunned silence fell on the room. Cassie and Sam exchanged a little smile on realising what it was and all present marvelled at how he played the intro with no sheet music, all apparently from memory… and _then_ he sang, kissing his baby son on the top of his head as he squealed,

"_It's a little bit funny this feeling inside  
I'm not one of those who can easily hide  
I don't have much money but boy if I did  
I'd buy a big house where we both could live…"_

Vala asked Cam quietly, "Which song is it?"

"Aw, it's an Elton John song… Your Song."

"My song?"

"No… it's called _Your Song._"

"Ah… you Earth people are odd."__

"If I was a sculptor, but then again, no  
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show  
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do  
My gift is my song and this one's for you…"

Jack, enjoying the song as he held Sara, both of them remembering dancing to it on the night that they met, called out after the last line of that verse, "Cheap skate."__

"And you can tell everybody this is your song  
It may be quite simple but now that it's done  
I hope you don't mind  
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words  
How wonderful life is while you're in the world…"

Daniel turned to gaze at Sam for a moment, smiling slightly as they both understood, along with almost everyone in the room that he well and truly meant the words he was singing. He smiled up at James, and then said silently, '_This is the greatest Christmas ever._'

'_You bet… Thank you._'__

"I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss  
Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross  
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song  
It's for people like you that keep it turned on…"

Sheppard cleared his throat, remarking as he glanced over at Cam, Elizabeth looking at him sceptically, "A little too much information."

Cassie rolled her eyes and said, "Not that sort of turned on, Colonel… Yeesh."__

"So excuse me forgetting but these things I do  
You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue  
Anyway the thing is what I really mean  
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen…"

Teal'c remarked, deadpan, making everyone look at him in surprise and then howl with laughter, "I surmised that DanielJackson would know the hue of Samantha's eyes, but, on further reflection, he does not have many opportunities to observe this for himself as he is… preoccupied."

"_And you can tell everybody this is your song  
It may be quite simple but now that it's done  
Hope you don't mind  
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words  
How wonderful life is now you're in the world_

Hope you don't mind  
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words  
How wonderful life is while you're in the world…"

A round of applause immediately followed, some whistling as the Archaeologist looked embarrassed, glancing back at Sam, who smiled, kissing her daughters as she said silently, tears brimming in her eyes, '_Daniel… that was beautiful._'

'_That was for you. You do know how glad I am every day that you're with me?_'

'_I think I guessed. I love you._'

'_And I love you more than anything or anyone imaginable or non-imaginable._'

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_Woo, it's done… Reviews are so very, very welcome – don't be shy: ) Thank you so much for reading._


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